The Government is pushing forward with a plan to extend a set-net fishing ban off the coast of Taranaki aimed at protecting Maui's dolphin.
Conservation Minister Nick Smith on Monday released the final details of a Threat Management Plan for the world's smallest and rarest dolphins, which number just 55 over the age of one.
Dr Smith said the set-net fishing ban off the Taranaki coast would be extended by 350 square kilometres and would stretch from Pariokariwa Point to the Waiwhakaiho River and between two and seven nautical miles offshore.
He said the plan also confirmed a set net ban put in place between Pariokariwa Point and Hawera last year, following a probable set net death of a Maui's dolphin in that area. It also included mandatory monitoring of the species.
