19 April 2013
Scientists urge end to seismic testing to protect rarest dolphin
In a letter to New Zealand’s Prime Minister, the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) urges the government to immediately halt seismic testing in Maui’s dolphin habitat.
With a membership of some 2,000 scientists from 60 countries, the SMM is the world's largest professional body dedicated to research on marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them.
The SMM’s letter is concerned with seismic surveys off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, which is the final refuge of the little known Maui’s dolphin, the smallest and rarest dolphin on earth.
The SMM states that allowing seismic testing in the dolphins’ habitat may harm their hearing and push them into unprotected areas, where they are more exposed to fishing nets.
Fishing is the primary cause of death among the last 55 surviving Maui’s dolphins. Gillnets and trawling kill about nine percent of the population a year – that’s 75 times more than the sustainable limit.
The SMM highlights that a proposed seismic project in the US was rejected because of its expected impact on an otherwise unthreatened population of more than 2,000 porpoises. The impact on the last 55 Maui’s dolphins could be devastating.
“Allowing this seismic testing thus appears inconsistent with the New Zealand Government's stated goal of enabling this subspecies to recover,” writes SMM President Professor Helene Marsh.
Seismic testing involves shooting noisy blasts of compressed air towards the ocean floor every 15-20 seconds, around the clock, for weeks or months. These airgun signals are loud enough to penetrate deep into the ocean floor to reveal buried reservoirs of oil and gas.
Airgun blasts are known to affect whales, dolphins, and porpoises and can also disturb and harm the fish they feed on.
“Twenty-four cetacean species have shown negative effects to marine noise pollution,” says NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation, Dr. Barbara Maas.
“Noise is a well known stressor, not just for marine mammals. This means seismic testing is potentially dangerous, even if it doesn’t kill the dolphins outright. Chronic stress can heighten susceptibility to other threats and slow down population recovery by suppressing reproduction and the immune system. It can even harm unborn dolphins prenatally, all of which Maui’s dolphins can ill afford.”
The SMM’s letter also reiterated an earlier conservation message to the New Zealand government. In February the SMM advocated an immediate ban of gillnet and trawl fisheries across all Maui’s dolphin habitat to prevent their extinction.
“NABU International is delighted that the SMM is speaking up about the urgent need to safeguard this desperately vulnerable species”, says Dr. Maas. “The scientific evidence is overwhelming. But instead of protecting the dolphins’ against fishing nets, the government is actively encouraging a host of environmentally damaging activities across their home.”
“We are strongly opposed to seismic testing in Maui’s dolphin habitat and support the use of renewable energy. Oil and gas exploration leads to oil and gas exploitation, which involves further dangers to the marine environment through offshore drilling, spills, leaks, and increased fossil fuel emissions.
ENDS
Contact:
Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
Notes to editors:
The SMM’s letter can be found here: http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/uploads/9/5/9/0/9590633/society_of_marine_mammalogys_concern_about_impact_seismic_surveys_on__mauis_dolphin_2.pdf
The SMM’s earlier letter from Feb. 2013 is available here: http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=674:letter-to-new-zealand-prime-minister-regarding-mauis-dolphin&catid=65:presidential-letters&Itemid=183
Free images are available here: http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/media-images.html
More information: www.hectorsdolphins.com.
Scientists urge end to seismic testing to protect rarest dolphin
In a letter to New Zealand’s Prime Minister, the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) urges the government to immediately halt seismic testing in Maui’s dolphin habitat.
With a membership of some 2,000 scientists from 60 countries, the SMM is the world's largest professional body dedicated to research on marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them.
The SMM’s letter is concerned with seismic surveys off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island, which is the final refuge of the little known Maui’s dolphin, the smallest and rarest dolphin on earth.
The SMM states that allowing seismic testing in the dolphins’ habitat may harm their hearing and push them into unprotected areas, where they are more exposed to fishing nets.
Fishing is the primary cause of death among the last 55 surviving Maui’s dolphins. Gillnets and trawling kill about nine percent of the population a year – that’s 75 times more than the sustainable limit.
The SMM highlights that a proposed seismic project in the US was rejected because of its expected impact on an otherwise unthreatened population of more than 2,000 porpoises. The impact on the last 55 Maui’s dolphins could be devastating.
“Allowing this seismic testing thus appears inconsistent with the New Zealand Government's stated goal of enabling this subspecies to recover,” writes SMM President Professor Helene Marsh.
Seismic testing involves shooting noisy blasts of compressed air towards the ocean floor every 15-20 seconds, around the clock, for weeks or months. These airgun signals are loud enough to penetrate deep into the ocean floor to reveal buried reservoirs of oil and gas.
Airgun blasts are known to affect whales, dolphins, and porpoises and can also disturb and harm the fish they feed on.
“Twenty-four cetacean species have shown negative effects to marine noise pollution,” says NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation, Dr. Barbara Maas.
“Noise is a well known stressor, not just for marine mammals. This means seismic testing is potentially dangerous, even if it doesn’t kill the dolphins outright. Chronic stress can heighten susceptibility to other threats and slow down population recovery by suppressing reproduction and the immune system. It can even harm unborn dolphins prenatally, all of which Maui’s dolphins can ill afford.”
The SMM’s letter also reiterated an earlier conservation message to the New Zealand government. In February the SMM advocated an immediate ban of gillnet and trawl fisheries across all Maui’s dolphin habitat to prevent their extinction.
“NABU International is delighted that the SMM is speaking up about the urgent need to safeguard this desperately vulnerable species”, says Dr. Maas. “The scientific evidence is overwhelming. But instead of protecting the dolphins’ against fishing nets, the government is actively encouraging a host of environmentally damaging activities across their home.”
“We are strongly opposed to seismic testing in Maui’s dolphin habitat and support the use of renewable energy. Oil and gas exploration leads to oil and gas exploitation, which involves further dangers to the marine environment through offshore drilling, spills, leaks, and increased fossil fuel emissions.
ENDS
Contact:
Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
Notes to editors:
The SMM’s letter can be found here: http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/uploads/9/5/9/0/9590633/society_of_marine_mammalogys_concern_about_impact_seismic_surveys_on__mauis_dolphin_2.pdf
The SMM’s earlier letter from Feb. 2013 is available here: http://www.marinemammalscience.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=674:letter-to-new-zealand-prime-minister-regarding-mauis-dolphin&catid=65:presidential-letters&Itemid=183
Free images are available here: http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/media-images.html
More information: www.hectorsdolphins.com.
27 February 2013
Six more Hector’s dolphins die because of inadequate protection
The world’s smallest dolphin bound for extinction because New Zealand fails to act
New information made public by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation reveals that a record six Hector’s dolphins were found dead last December. Five individuals, including two neonates and a young calf died along the east coast of the country’s South Island. The sustainable limit for this area is around one dolphin per year. The sixth individual was found floating in the ater off the country's west coast.
In 1988 New Zealand’s established its first Marine Mammals Sanctuary to protect the Hector’s dolphins along its easten shores against harmful fishing practices, the primary cause of their decline. But the Sanctuary is failing in its task because it is simply too small.
Each year an estimated 23 Hector's dolphins die in commercial gillnets along this stretch of coastline.
“The first problem is that the current boundary of the Marine Mammal Sanctuary does not coincide with the biological limits of the dolphins' distribution range”, says Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation of NABU International. “Furthermore, set netting and trawling continue even throughout most of the Sanctuary itself. Because only a small proportion of the dolphins' range is protected, numbers continue to drop. Unless these issues are addressed immediately, we will continue to see distressing images like these until the dolphins have disappeared for good.”
No one knows how many dolphins lose their lives in trawl nets, because the government does not collect these data. Other fishing methods that are known to kill Hector’s dolphins, including recreational gillnetting and trawling are not included in this figure, which means that the true death toll will exceed these numbers considerably.
Photographs released by NABU International show Hector’s dolphins swimming just yards away from trawl boats operating inside the Marine Mammal Sanctuary.
“The New Zealand government has been aware that Hector’s dolphins range far beyond the boundary of the sanctuary since 2009, but is refusing to act on its own research.”
The government’s fisheries observer programme, which collects information about both dolphin distribution and the number of dolphins killed in nets, has since been dismantled. At the same time, the government and the fishing industry point towards lack of data as one of the chief reasons not to increase protection.
“Without full protection against trawling and gillnetting Hector's dolphins will continue to die and slide ever closer to extinction.” The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) agrees and has urged New Zealand to ban the use of gill and trawl nets in waters of up to 100 metres deep in an urgent bid to save them. New Zealand was the only nation amongst 117 countries and 460 organisations to vote against these measures at last year’s IUCN’s World Conservation Congress.
ENDS
Contact
Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
Notes to editors
Images and a map are available at: http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/media-images.html
Six more Hector’s dolphins die because of inadequate protection
The world’s smallest dolphin bound for extinction because New Zealand fails to act
New information made public by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation reveals that a record six Hector’s dolphins were found dead last December. Five individuals, including two neonates and a young calf died along the east coast of the country’s South Island. The sustainable limit for this area is around one dolphin per year. The sixth individual was found floating in the ater off the country's west coast.
In 1988 New Zealand’s established its first Marine Mammals Sanctuary to protect the Hector’s dolphins along its easten shores against harmful fishing practices, the primary cause of their decline. But the Sanctuary is failing in its task because it is simply too small.
Each year an estimated 23 Hector's dolphins die in commercial gillnets along this stretch of coastline.
“The first problem is that the current boundary of the Marine Mammal Sanctuary does not coincide with the biological limits of the dolphins' distribution range”, says Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation of NABU International. “Furthermore, set netting and trawling continue even throughout most of the Sanctuary itself. Because only a small proportion of the dolphins' range is protected, numbers continue to drop. Unless these issues are addressed immediately, we will continue to see distressing images like these until the dolphins have disappeared for good.”
No one knows how many dolphins lose their lives in trawl nets, because the government does not collect these data. Other fishing methods that are known to kill Hector’s dolphins, including recreational gillnetting and trawling are not included in this figure, which means that the true death toll will exceed these numbers considerably.
Photographs released by NABU International show Hector’s dolphins swimming just yards away from trawl boats operating inside the Marine Mammal Sanctuary.
“The New Zealand government has been aware that Hector’s dolphins range far beyond the boundary of the sanctuary since 2009, but is refusing to act on its own research.”
The government’s fisheries observer programme, which collects information about both dolphin distribution and the number of dolphins killed in nets, has since been dismantled. At the same time, the government and the fishing industry point towards lack of data as one of the chief reasons not to increase protection.
“Without full protection against trawling and gillnetting Hector's dolphins will continue to die and slide ever closer to extinction.” The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) agrees and has urged New Zealand to ban the use of gill and trawl nets in waters of up to 100 metres deep in an urgent bid to save them. New Zealand was the only nation amongst 117 countries and 460 organisations to vote against these measures at last year’s IUCN’s World Conservation Congress.
ENDS
Contact
Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
Notes to editors
Images and a map are available at: http://www.hectorsdolphins.com/media-images.html
14 February 2013
Maui's dolphins extinct by 2030: world's marine mammal scientists urge immediate action
Under current protection levels, Maui’s dolphins will become practically extinct by 2030 as a result of fishing.
In a letter to New Zealand’s Prime Minister, the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) urges the government to ban gillnets and trawling in Maui’s dolphin habitat immediately to avoid their extinction.
With a membership of some 2,000 scientists from 60 countries, the SMM is the world's largest professional body dedicated to research on marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them.
The SMM expressed its concerns in a letter addressed to New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, as well as the Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy, and the Minister of Conservation Nick Smith.
The letter highlights that fishing nets alone kill about nine percent of an estimated population of 55 individuals over one year of age, which according to NABU International will render Maui’s dolphins virtually extinct in less than 20 years.
“I encourage you to act quickly and decisively to provide the leadership in marine conservation that the world expects of your country,” writes SMM President Professor Helene Marsh.
“Scientists from New Zealand and elsewhere have provided an exceptionally strong scientific basis for managing fisheries to prevent the extinction of Maui's dolphins. Any bycatch of Maui's dolphins is clearly unsustainable. You will appreciate the urgent need to act on that science and strengthen measures to protect these dolphins.”
The SMM also makes reference to international scientific concerns expressed last year by the International Whaling Commission and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “On behalf of the Society for Marine Mammology, I concur with the IWC recommendation to extend the North Island protected area and the IUCN resolution to ban gillnets and trawl fisheries in all areas where these dolphins are found.”
The IUCN motion had called on New Zealand to prohibit the use of gill and trawl nets in coastal waters where Hector's and Maui's dolphins occur up to a depth of 100 metre. It was passed with 117 countries and 460 organisations voting in favour. New Zealand alone had opposed it.
“The New Zealand government’s decision on whether to increase the protection for the last 55 Maui’s dolphins is now almost two months overdue, so this is a timely letter.” says NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation Dr. Barbara Maas.
“There is nothing left in terms of credible scientific endorsement for what we have been asking for for years. With every passing day of inaction, Maui’s dolphins are unnecessarily put at risk. The scientific evidence for an immediate zero tolerance approach to Maui’s dolphin mortality is overwhelming, and New Zealand has become embarrassingly isolated amidst growing international interest and concern.
ENDS
CONTACT
Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
Notes to editors
Images and extinction scenario graphics are available.
In a letter to New Zealand’s Prime Minister, the Society for Marine Mammalogy (SMM) urges the government to ban gillnets and trawling in Maui’s dolphin habitat immediately to avoid their extinction.
With a membership of some 2,000 scientists from 60 countries, the SMM is the world's largest professional body dedicated to research on marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them.
The SMM expressed its concerns in a letter addressed to New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key, as well as the Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy, and the Minister of Conservation Nick Smith.
The letter highlights that fishing nets alone kill about nine percent of an estimated population of 55 individuals over one year of age, which according to NABU International will render Maui’s dolphins virtually extinct in less than 20 years.
“I encourage you to act quickly and decisively to provide the leadership in marine conservation that the world expects of your country,” writes SMM President Professor Helene Marsh.
“Scientists from New Zealand and elsewhere have provided an exceptionally strong scientific basis for managing fisheries to prevent the extinction of Maui's dolphins. Any bycatch of Maui's dolphins is clearly unsustainable. You will appreciate the urgent need to act on that science and strengthen measures to protect these dolphins.”
The SMM also makes reference to international scientific concerns expressed last year by the International Whaling Commission and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). “On behalf of the Society for Marine Mammology, I concur with the IWC recommendation to extend the North Island protected area and the IUCN resolution to ban gillnets and trawl fisheries in all areas where these dolphins are found.”
The IUCN motion had called on New Zealand to prohibit the use of gill and trawl nets in coastal waters where Hector's and Maui's dolphins occur up to a depth of 100 metre. It was passed with 117 countries and 460 organisations voting in favour. New Zealand alone had opposed it.
“The New Zealand government’s decision on whether to increase the protection for the last 55 Maui’s dolphins is now almost two months overdue, so this is a timely letter.” says NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation Dr. Barbara Maas.
“There is nothing left in terms of credible scientific endorsement for what we have been asking for for years. With every passing day of inaction, Maui’s dolphins are unnecessarily put at risk. The scientific evidence for an immediate zero tolerance approach to Maui’s dolphin mortality is overwhelming, and New Zealand has become embarrassingly isolated amidst growing international interest and concern.
ENDS
CONTACT
Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
Notes to editors
Images and extinction scenario graphics are available.
Download exctinction graphics with or without image background here
International Whaling Commission criticizes New Zealand over failure to protect rare dolphins
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Hundreds of delegates from government and conservation groups are gathered in Panama at the 64th meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) this week to discuss the future of world’s whales. Amidst the annual wrangling between pro- and anti-whaling fractions, there has also been occasion to consider the fate of the world's smallest and rarest marine cetacean, New Zealand’s little known Maui’s and Hector’s Dolphins. The IWC’s scientific body strongly urged New Zealand to take immediate steps to arrest the decade of decline of its only native dolphins, pointing out that current protection measures are inadequate in terms of the area and the fishing methods they cover. Since the introduction of nylon filament nets in the 1970s, Hector’s dolphin numbers have dropped from 30,000 to around 7,000. The situation for Maui’s dolphins, a subspecies of Hector’s dolphins, is even worse. More than 94% are already lost and Maui’s dolphins are now confined to very small remnant population on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island. With just 55 survivors older than one year, less than 20 breeding females, and an annual decline of around three percent, Maui's dolphins are facing imminent extinction. “Hector's and Maui's dolphins inhabit coastal waters up to a depth of 100 meters and need to be protected across their range”, says Dr Barbara Maas of the German conservation group NABU International, which released a report highlighting the urgent need to protect this species, at the IWC.” Research, considered by the IWC’s Scientific Committee, showed that protected areas are simply too small to be effective, and progress in extending gillnet and trawl net free areas has been too slow to achieve recovery as part of New Zealand’s national and international obligations. In one area off the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island, Hector’s dolphin bycatch exceeds sustainable levels about 23 times. “New Zealand tried to deflect these criticisms by pointing towards a recent extension of the protected area for Maui’s dolphins. Yet New Zealand failed to mention that these measures are merely temporary, don’t include trawl fishing and do not apply to most of the dolphins’ habitat. They therefore fall short of the IWC’s directions and will not prevent the dolphins’ extinction.” “The New Zealand Government has been exposed to fierce pressure from fishing interests, which strongly oppose any measures to protect the dolphins. We are therefore delighted that the IWC has confirmed what scientists and conservationists have been calling for all along, namely that numbers continue to decline because only a small fraction of the dolphins’ home is protected against gillnetting and trawling, and that a ban of these fishing methods up to a water depth of 100 meters is the only way to save them.” “NABU International sincerely hopes that New Zealand will finally show the commitment and leadership required to avert the first extinction of a marine cetacean as a result of human activities and leave the Hector’s and Maui’s as a continuing legacy for the world. Failure to do so will forever tarnish New Zealand’s reputation as an environmentally responsible nation.” ENDS CONTACT Dr Barbara Maas - NABU International – Foundation for Nature - +44-(0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de Notes to editors Images and maps are available |
Hector;s and Maui's dolphins are declining because only a small part of their range (red) is protected against gillnetting and trawling (green). Click to enlarge
Turn the red sea green! |
2 May 2012
Tens of Thousands Petition New Zealand Government over World's Rarest Dolphin
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Representatives from NABU International and Avaaz stood united in delivering over 65,000 signatures in support of effective protection for Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins to the NZ Parliament. Labour Leader Shearer, Deputy Leader and environment spokesman Grant Robertson, as well as Green Party MP and oceans spokesperson Gareth Hughes received the petitions. Both petitions were sponsored by NABU International spokeswoman Christine Rose and were tabled in Parliament by Mr Hughes. “NABU International has long since been an active advocate for the protection of endangered marine life such as dolphins, porpoises and sharks through the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)”, says NABU International’s Chair Thomas Tennhardt. “The extinction of a species is a big deal and not something you would expect from a country like New Zealand, which works so hard to preserve its terrestrial species and prides itself on its environmental credentials. While Kakapo, Kiwi, and endangered birds are perceived as precious, New Zealand’s only native dolphin receives very little attention.” “The government has acknowledged that gillnet and trawl fisheries pose the biggest risk to Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins. It follows that efforts to save the dolphin must focus on eliminating bycatch. Yet, currently proposed measures are insufficient to reverse the decline of Maui’s dolphins both in terms of areal coverage and the fishing methods under consideration. Three quarters of Hector's dolphins are already gone and there are just 48-69 adult Maui's dolphins left – down from about 1,000 in the 1970s. Unless their habitat is protected against these nets, the survivors will suffer the same fate as the thousands that have already died.” “Given the dolphins’ precarious status, no human induced deaths are acceptable”, explains NABU International spokeswoman Christine Rose who will deliver the signatures. “Together with our petitioners, NABU International is urging the government to ban all gillnet and trawl fisheries to a depth of 100m throughout the dolphins' range. It’s the only way to achieve recovery. In the case of Maui’s dolphins, this would include the sea off Taranaki, all West coast harbours, Cook Strait and Tasman and Golden Bays. The latter are important to prevent genetic isolation and inbreeding.” “This unprecedented expression of public concern sends a clear message that the international community, including consumers from some of New Zealand’s biggest fish export markets, care about the dolphins’ fate. As global awareness about Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins continues to grow, the more New Zealand will find itself under the international spotlight, which can’t be good for business.” New Zealand is a signatory to Convention on Biological Diversity and as such made a formal commitment to the Convention’s Strategic Plan for 2011 to 2020. This includes the obligation to ensure that “the extinction of known threatened species has been prevented and their conservation status, particularly of those most in decline, has been improved and sustained” and that as the impacts of use of natural resources are kept “well within safe ecological limits”. “We hear a lot about how much has already been done to save Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins, but if you look at the map, you will see that only a fraction of the dolphins’ habitat is protected. It should therefore come as no surprise that numbers continue to decline. If protection measures are not effective because they are not sufficiently wide-ranging, this does not constitute success. Slowing extinction is not the same as stopping it. That is why NABU International is calling for a comprehensive ban as part of our 'Turn the Red Sea Green' campaign.” |
Video by 'Malcolm Wright of 'Whale like me'
Hector's and Maui's dolphins inhabit coastal waters up to a depth of 100 m (red). Because only a fraction of their home is protected against harmful fishing methods (green) their numbers continue to dwindle away.
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Since the research on which the latest Maui’s dolphin estimate was based was carried out in 2010/11, at least three Maui’s dolphins have died. Other fatalities may have gone unnoticed. Freedive world champion and NABU International’s Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin ambassador Will Trubridge says, “New Zealand activist Pete Bethune's twin brother witnessed five Hector's dolphins caught on the boat he was working on in a single day, and another ten were caught in the same location that year. The captain later stated to media that he hadn't caught a single Hector's dolphin in 20 years of fishing. Crew are told to keep quiet, since the dolphins are "stealing their fish and livelihood".
ENDS
3 April 2012
Conservation Groups Call for Immediate Action to Save New Zealand’s Imperilled Dolphins
Prime Minister Key Asked to Act Urgently
Over a dozen non-governmental organizations have requested that Prime Minister John Key take immediate action to protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins in a letter hand-delivered to him today.
Among the NGOs imploring the government to act are organizations which are part of the Whales Need US coalition – a collection of US-based organizations that are dedicated to cetacean protection. Though typically, focused on US issues, WNUS has joined forces with NABU International, Earth Race Conservation, and other New Zealand conservation organizations seeking protection for New Zealand’s imperilled dolphins.
New Zealand’s Maui’s dolphins, the most endangered of all marine cetaceans (whales and dolphins), are an important symbolic species. Maui’s dolphins represent a tiny remnant population, which is genetically unique and critically endangered with as few as 55 animals remaining.
“The plight of the Maui’s dolphins is alarming and New Zealand must act now to eliminate the threats to these important populations,” states D.J. Schubert, Chair of WNUS. “National and international NGOs are cooperating to raise the plight of these species to the public and need public support – and government action – to save these species.”
Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins are primarily threatened by lethal bycatch in trawl and gill nets. Though there are other factors, including habitat degradation, that imperil the species, it is imperative that the use of trawl and gill nets in the habitat of these dolphin populations be prohibited if these dolphins are to have any chance of survival.
“We are grateful for the support for this species from across the world,” say Dr. Barbara Maas of NABU International. “New Zealand has a reputation as a leader in cetacean conservation, biodiversity protection, and sustainability. Now it is time for the government to reaffirm its commitment to its only endemic dolphin or risk its credibility.”
”For the government to continue to allow these dolphins to fade away into extinction is entirely unacceptable to the people of New Zealand and the world,” adds Ria Kemp a marine mammal medic in New Zealand. Furthermore, considering the cultural significance of these dolphins in Maori culture, not acting to save these animals would be disrespectful to Maori.
Improved global cooperation for the conservation of cetaceans, is imperative to ensure their survival, which is critical to restoring the health of the world’s oceans. After hundreds of years of exploitation, cetacean populations remain at risk from hunting, ship strikes, marine pollution, underwater noise, climate change, by-catch and entanglements. ENDS
Over a dozen non-governmental organizations have requested that Prime Minister John Key take immediate action to protect Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins in a letter hand-delivered to him today.
Among the NGOs imploring the government to act are organizations which are part of the Whales Need US coalition – a collection of US-based organizations that are dedicated to cetacean protection. Though typically, focused on US issues, WNUS has joined forces with NABU International, Earth Race Conservation, and other New Zealand conservation organizations seeking protection for New Zealand’s imperilled dolphins.
New Zealand’s Maui’s dolphins, the most endangered of all marine cetaceans (whales and dolphins), are an important symbolic species. Maui’s dolphins represent a tiny remnant population, which is genetically unique and critically endangered with as few as 55 animals remaining.
“The plight of the Maui’s dolphins is alarming and New Zealand must act now to eliminate the threats to these important populations,” states D.J. Schubert, Chair of WNUS. “National and international NGOs are cooperating to raise the plight of these species to the public and need public support – and government action – to save these species.”
Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins are primarily threatened by lethal bycatch in trawl and gill nets. Though there are other factors, including habitat degradation, that imperil the species, it is imperative that the use of trawl and gill nets in the habitat of these dolphin populations be prohibited if these dolphins are to have any chance of survival.
“We are grateful for the support for this species from across the world,” say Dr. Barbara Maas of NABU International. “New Zealand has a reputation as a leader in cetacean conservation, biodiversity protection, and sustainability. Now it is time for the government to reaffirm its commitment to its only endemic dolphin or risk its credibility.”
”For the government to continue to allow these dolphins to fade away into extinction is entirely unacceptable to the people of New Zealand and the world,” adds Ria Kemp a marine mammal medic in New Zealand. Furthermore, considering the cultural significance of these dolphins in Maori culture, not acting to save these animals would be disrespectful to Maori.
Improved global cooperation for the conservation of cetaceans, is imperative to ensure their survival, which is critical to restoring the health of the world’s oceans. After hundreds of years of exploitation, cetacean populations remain at risk from hunting, ship strikes, marine pollution, underwater noise, climate change, by-catch and entanglements. ENDS
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CONTACT
NZ contacts: Tess Brosnan, tessabrosnan@gmail.com, +64 (0)22 137 6820 Christine Rose, christine.rose25@gmail.com, +64 (0)9-4125668 |
International contacts: Dr. Barbara Maas, barbara.maas@nabu.de, +44-(0)7970987742 D.J. Schubert, dj@awionline.org, +1-609-601-2875 |
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27 March 2012
New Research points the way to saving Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins New research proves the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas as an effective conservation tool to protect marine mammals against fisheries bycatch. Yet, the dolphin species that was studied to provide this landmark result continues to decline due to lack of protection. Scientists from New Zealand and Australia spent 21 years studying Hector’s dolphins off the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island. The results, published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Applied Ecology today, confirm that removing the threat of gillnetting and trawling from coastal waters successfully improved the survival of endangered Hector’s dolphins. “This is excellent news because it proves that the removal of fishing nets from their habitat benefits threatened marine mammals,” says Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation with NABU International – Foundation for Nature. “However, it also shows that unless a Protected Area is large enough, this positive influence cannot compensate for mortality caused by fishing. The net effect is continued decline.” “The study population and Hector’s dolphins as a whole are still on course to extinction. Late last year, another study showed that 23 Hector’s dolphins drown in commercial gillnets off the east coast of the South Island each year. The sustainable limit for this area is about one dolphin a year,” explains Dr Maas. “Unless the size of the 1170 km2 Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary is enlarged, it will be a case of ‘The operation was successful, but the patient is dead.” |
Download the research paper 
Listen to Hector's dolphin scientist Dr Liz Slooten talk about her latest research |
Dr Liz Slooten, who has studied Hector’s dolphins since the 1980s and co-authored the latest research says, “The take home message is that size matters. Marine Protected Areas work, but they have to be large enough in order to be effective.”
“As things stand, the odds are stacked heavily against Hector’s dolphins,” say Dr Maas. “The likelihood that they won’t recover to even half their original numbers within the next 50 years is at best 80%. Yet without fishing, populations could double to 15,000. It is even more disconcerting that these calculations refer only to commercial gillnetting. Other harmful fishing methods such as trawling and recreational gillnetting, or pollution, boat strikes, and marine mining are not included.”
“This study is yet another reminder that Hector’s dolphins, including the almost extinct North Island subspecies of Maui’s dolphins, remain poorly protected. Less than two weeks ago, the government announced a revised population abundance estimate for Maui’s dolphins of some 55 individuals - the result of 30 years of decline due to fishing. But fishing continues across much of animals’ range.”
“NABU International reiterates its call for the protection of Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins against all gillnet and trawl nets in coastal waters up to 100 metres deep. It is the only rational course of action in light of the overwhelming scientific evidence and the exceptional urgency that confronts us here. Unless the government generates this level of commitment, the last few dozen Maui’s dolphins and their South Island cousins are bound to become a further addition to the long list of extinctions New Zealand has witnessed in the past.”
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Contact:
Dr Barbara Maas Head of Endangered Species Conservation NABU International - Foundation for Nature T +44 (0)7970987742 barbara.maas@nabu.de www.hectorsdolphins.com |
13th March 2012
Protect last 55 adult Maui’s Dolphins now
NABU INTERNATIONAL calls on the New Zealand government to show leadership in the conservation of the last surviving Maui’s dolphins.
Yesterday New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC) announced that the number of Maui's dolphins over the age of one has reached a historical low of between 48-69 individuals, with a mostly likely point estimate of 55. A previous survey carried out in 2005 put the number of Maui’s dolphins at 111.
NABU International thanks the government for recognising the utmost urgency of this increasingly desperate conservation crisis. “We welcome the decision to bring forward a review of the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphins Threat Management Plan forward from 2013” says NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation, Dr. Barbara Maas.
“With regard to preventing any further fatalities amongst the last 55 adults, however, we would have hoped that the Ministers of Conservation and MAF’s sense of urgency would have translated into more rapid action.”
“The government is currently considering interim protection measures after a period of public consultation has elapsed. This is likely to take us into May and may result in a further compromise that fails to offer the species the full protection it requires to return from the very brink. Every day the animals are exposed to gill and trawl nets carries a risk we can’t afford. If ever there was a time to act, it is now.”
“NABU International urges the Primary Industries Minister David Carter to show the commitment leadership that is required to save this species. He can do so by invoking provisions under Section 16 of the Fisheries Act and impose immediate emergency measures to prohibit the use of gillnets and trawling in the dolphins’ range along a 100m depth contour. Better still, he could support the Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson in declaring the full range of Maui’s dolphins a Marine Reserve. This could be achieved very quickly and without risking further dangerous delays imposed by New Zealand’s litigious fishing industry, which used the courts to try and overturn improved protection measures by two Fisheries Ministers in the past.”
Amongst the areas currently left unprotected are all North Island West coast harbours and the sea off Taranaki to 7 nautical miles offshore. To facilitate genetic replenishing of Maui’s dolphins with South Island Hector’s dolphins, the Tasman and Golden Bays would also have to be included in new fisheries restrictions.
“The government’s own research has now shown what we have warned about for years. A population of 55 adults means that just over 20 breeding female Maui’s dolphins survive. But because the government’s figures suggest an annual population decline of some three percent, even more Maui’s dolphins will have died since the research was carried out in 2010/11– we know of at least two in the past six months. ENDS
Notes to Editors / Picture Editors:
Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation, NABU International - Foundation for Nature
T +44 - (0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de, www.hectorsdolphins.com
DOWNLOAD DOC's Maui's dolphin abundance estimate report
Protect last 55 adult Maui’s Dolphins now
NABU INTERNATIONAL calls on the New Zealand government to show leadership in the conservation of the last surviving Maui’s dolphins.
Yesterday New Zealand's Department of Conservation (DOC) announced that the number of Maui's dolphins over the age of one has reached a historical low of between 48-69 individuals, with a mostly likely point estimate of 55. A previous survey carried out in 2005 put the number of Maui’s dolphins at 111.
NABU International thanks the government for recognising the utmost urgency of this increasingly desperate conservation crisis. “We welcome the decision to bring forward a review of the Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphins Threat Management Plan forward from 2013” says NABU International’s Head of International Species Conservation, Dr. Barbara Maas.
“With regard to preventing any further fatalities amongst the last 55 adults, however, we would have hoped that the Ministers of Conservation and MAF’s sense of urgency would have translated into more rapid action.”
“The government is currently considering interim protection measures after a period of public consultation has elapsed. This is likely to take us into May and may result in a further compromise that fails to offer the species the full protection it requires to return from the very brink. Every day the animals are exposed to gill and trawl nets carries a risk we can’t afford. If ever there was a time to act, it is now.”
“NABU International urges the Primary Industries Minister David Carter to show the commitment leadership that is required to save this species. He can do so by invoking provisions under Section 16 of the Fisheries Act and impose immediate emergency measures to prohibit the use of gillnets and trawling in the dolphins’ range along a 100m depth contour. Better still, he could support the Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson in declaring the full range of Maui’s dolphins a Marine Reserve. This could be achieved very quickly and without risking further dangerous delays imposed by New Zealand’s litigious fishing industry, which used the courts to try and overturn improved protection measures by two Fisheries Ministers in the past.”
Amongst the areas currently left unprotected are all North Island West coast harbours and the sea off Taranaki to 7 nautical miles offshore. To facilitate genetic replenishing of Maui’s dolphins with South Island Hector’s dolphins, the Tasman and Golden Bays would also have to be included in new fisheries restrictions.
“The government’s own research has now shown what we have warned about for years. A population of 55 adults means that just over 20 breeding female Maui’s dolphins survive. But because the government’s figures suggest an annual population decline of some three percent, even more Maui’s dolphins will have died since the research was carried out in 2010/11– we know of at least two in the past six months. ENDS
Notes to Editors / Picture Editors:
Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation, NABU International - Foundation for Nature
T +44 - (0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de, www.hectorsdolphins.com
DOWNLOAD DOC's Maui's dolphin abundance estimate report
Maui's dolphin killed by fishing net
13th March 2012
World record freediver Will Trubridge champions the world’s rarest dolphin
Fifteen times freediving world record holder William Trubridge calls for better protection of the world’s rarest marine dolphin.
William Trubridge is a New Zealander and feels a special connection with Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins, which live nowhere else.
“Hector's Dolphins are the world's smallest and most endangered dolphin”, he says. One of its two subspecies, the Maui's Dolphin, has a population of less than 80.”
William joined forces with German conservation group NABU International Foundation for Nature and the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust in their campaign to stop the dolphins’ extinction.
“Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin numbers have been dwindling towards extinction for more than 30 years, mostly due to the deadly gill nets and trawlers that operate in their territory. Instead of defending this beautiful species, the current government has caved in to the fishing industry and further reduced their protection.”
To launch his new role as worldwide Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin ambassador Mr Trubridge recorded a unique under water video message at his winter training ground in the Bahamas. Facing the camera without breathing equipment, he urges everyone to do their bit to save this troubled species by signing a petition to the New Zealand government and by joining the Facebook group Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin SOS. William also asks people not to buy fish caught using nets that harm the species, and to think twice about visiting New Zealand until the government acts to protect them. As a New Zealander, William has a special connection with Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins. Watch his video below and find out more.
World record freediver Will Trubridge champions the world’s rarest dolphin
Fifteen times freediving world record holder William Trubridge calls for better protection of the world’s rarest marine dolphin.
William Trubridge is a New Zealander and feels a special connection with Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins, which live nowhere else.
“Hector's Dolphins are the world's smallest and most endangered dolphin”, he says. One of its two subspecies, the Maui's Dolphin, has a population of less than 80.”
William joined forces with German conservation group NABU International Foundation for Nature and the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust in their campaign to stop the dolphins’ extinction.
“Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin numbers have been dwindling towards extinction for more than 30 years, mostly due to the deadly gill nets and trawlers that operate in their territory. Instead of defending this beautiful species, the current government has caved in to the fishing industry and further reduced their protection.”
To launch his new role as worldwide Hector’s and Maui’s dolphin ambassador Mr Trubridge recorded a unique under water video message at his winter training ground in the Bahamas. Facing the camera without breathing equipment, he urges everyone to do their bit to save this troubled species by signing a petition to the New Zealand government and by joining the Facebook group Hector’s and Maui’s Dolphin SOS. William also asks people not to buy fish caught using nets that harm the species, and to think twice about visiting New Zealand until the government acts to protect them. As a New Zealander, William has a special connection with Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins. Watch his video below and find out more.
“We don't have long to fix this. Saving this species is a race against time. Commercial and recreational gill nets and trawling must be banned in the dolphins' range for any water shallower than 100 meters. Otherwise Maui's and Hector's Dolphins will be the first species of marine cetacean (dolphins & whales) to become extinct due to human causes. We can't afford to lose a single one”.
William was the first human to reach a depth of 100m without the use of fins, rope, weight, or any other form of assistance. It was the 15th time that he broke a world record. Another dive to 121m earned him the world record in Free Immersion (line-assisted freediving). Even the dolphins can’t follow him that deep. William’s other breathtaking accolades include his nomination as New Zealand athlete of the year in 2011, winner of 2010 and 2011 World Absolute Freediver, an annual prize for freedivers with the highest combined score across six disciplines, and being the highest ranked athlete at the Team's World Champs in 2010.
“NABU International is delighted about William’s support,”, says NABU International’s Head of Endangered Species Conservation, Dr Barbara Maas." We hope that the backing of this world-class athlete, with his genuine affinity for the sea and the dolphins, will inspire people around the world to call for their protection”. ENDS
For further information contact:
Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation
tel: +44 (0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
William Trubridge
+1 2423376114 (EST), will@verticalblue.net
Dr Liz Slooten, University of Otago
+64 (0)274474418, liz.slooten@otago.ac.nz
William was the first human to reach a depth of 100m without the use of fins, rope, weight, or any other form of assistance. It was the 15th time that he broke a world record. Another dive to 121m earned him the world record in Free Immersion (line-assisted freediving). Even the dolphins can’t follow him that deep. William’s other breathtaking accolades include his nomination as New Zealand athlete of the year in 2011, winner of 2010 and 2011 World Absolute Freediver, an annual prize for freedivers with the highest combined score across six disciplines, and being the highest ranked athlete at the Team's World Champs in 2010.
“NABU International is delighted about William’s support,”, says NABU International’s Head of Endangered Species Conservation, Dr Barbara Maas." We hope that the backing of this world-class athlete, with his genuine affinity for the sea and the dolphins, will inspire people around the world to call for their protection”. ENDS
For further information contact:
Dr Barbara Maas, Head of Endangered Species Conservation
tel: +44 (0)7970987742, barbara.maas@nabu.de
William Trubridge
+1 2423376114 (EST), will@verticalblue.net
Dr Liz Slooten, University of Otago
+64 (0)274474418, liz.slooten@otago.ac.nz
