Media Statement

14 January 2014

Government apathy behind dolphin deaths say Dolphin Defenders

Dolphin Defenders are blaming Governmental apathy and complacency for the death of an adult female Hector’s Dolphin, and calf, in a recreational set-net near Nelson last week.

Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins are threatened with extinction, and only parts of their habitat are protected, from a small range of their total threats, leading to the ongoing decline of the species.

Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins are found only in New Zealand’s coastal waters out to about 100m deep, in small subpopulations, including the North Island Maui dolphin, numbering only about 55.

Marine advocate Christine Rose, chair of the New Zealand group ‘Maui & Hector’s Dolphin Defenders’ says these latest deaths must be a call to further protect the dolphins, from the full range of threats, throughout their entire habitat. “That’s out to 100 metres deep, right around New Zealand’s coast”.

“In the Nelson and Tasman area, where these latest dolphins were killed, there is no protection from set nets or trawling, and many deaths possibly go unreported”. Earlier this year a Hector’s dolphin was also caught in a recreational set net at Raukokore in the Bay of Plenty, on the East Coast of the North Island, an area where this rarest of dolphins also has no protection at all”. “Other parts of the dolphin habitat have only partial protection” says Mrs Rose.”

“New Zealand is failing on its international biodiversity obligations, leading to ongoing criticism from the global conservation community, as reflected in condemnation from the International Whaling Commission and the International Society of Marine Mammology, and other esteemed organisations”.

“In order for Maui and Hector’s dolphins to survive as a species, all sub-populations need protecting throughout their full habitat, from the full range of human caused threats”. “Instead, the New Zealand Government has been complacent and apathetic. They’ve delayed the review of the Hector’s Dolphins Threat Management Plan, and introduced a suite of new threats such as seismic testing (in the dolphins’ Marine Mammal Sanctuary), and have failed to address significant and proven impacts such as set nets and trawling”.

“The Government added a small amount of protection for Maui’s dolphins in 2013, but Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins are still dying avoidably, around New Zealand. They’re the world’s rarest marine dolphins already, they should be safe”, says Mrs Rose. “The answer is simple, ban set and trawl nets out to 100m deep, and save the dolphins”.

Mrs Rose also says “there’s an irony that Mexico have just banned set nets and bought out affected fishers to save the Vaquita, but New Zealand is failing its own endemic, small, rare and lovely species”.

ENDS

Notes:

Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins are a small inshore coastal dolphin species found only in New Zealand. Their population has reduced from an estimated 30,000 Hectors and 1800 Maui dolphins in the 1970s, to about 7000 Hector’s distributed in groups around the South Island, and 55 Maui, today.

Research and Government documents show gill nets used in recreational and commercial set net and trawl efforts pose the greatest threats to these dolphins, but that seismic testing is an increasing concern.

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