The world's most endangered sea dolphin will "do a dodo" and die out within years unless radical changes are made to damaging fishing methods, campaigners are warning. Maui's dolphins are found only in shallow waters off New Zealand, where the population has been "decimated" by trawl and gillnets - huge walls of nylon netting used to catch fish. Most drown after becoming trapped in the heavy duty nylon mesh - and fewer than 22 breeding females are left in the world - meaning the breed faces imminent extinction. Numbers have fallen by 94 per cent since gillnet fishing began in the 1970s, an international conference on whaling in Panama heard this week. The species' downfall would be the first known extinction of a marine cetacean as a direct result of human activities. Dr Barbara Mass, head of endangered species conservation for the German environmental charity, NABU International - Foundation for Nature, who has worked to protect the species for more than a decade including for the New Zealand Department of Conservation, warned that gillnets are only part of the problem. These findings were presented to the International Whaling Commission (IWC) annual meeting in Panama City. She said: "Make no mistake that these beautiful dolphins are well on their way to doing a dodo, and the New Zealand government is well aware of this. "Unless something happens immediately, and the New Zealand Government takes notice, the only place you'll find a Maui's dolphin will be stuffed in a museum." NABU International said the Hector's dolphin - of which the Maui's dolphin is a critically-endangered sub-species - is also facing extinction. NABU International is now urging New Zealand to ban harmful fishing methods in waters up to 100m deep to save the species. Dr Maas suggests more selective fishing methods, such as hook and line fishing, or fish traps, which do not catch dolphins, could be used instead. She added: "The New Zealand Government has been exposed to fierce pressure from fishing interests, which strongly oppose any measures to protect these rare dolphins. "The industry insists that fishermen don't catch the dolphins, but we found that less than one percent of dolphins killed in nets are reported. "NABU International sincerely hopes that New Zealand will finally show the commitment and leadership required to save the Maui's and Hector's dolphins. "Failure to do so will forever tarnish New Zealand's reputation as an environmentally responsible nation."