The Government is calling for public feedback on a series of new proposals aimed at reducing the risks posed to hoiho (yellow-eyed penguins) from commercial fishing activities. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones says the initiative reflects the urgency of protecting one of the world’s rarest penguin species, whose northern population continues to face critical threats both on land and at sea.

The consultation follows an emergency three-month closure to commercial set-net fishing around the Otago Peninsula, imposed in September to provide immediate protection for the species while officials developed longer-term mitigation options. Now, newly updated scientific assessments have helped shape a set of proposals designed to reduce fishing-related mortality and support the species’ su

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