09 March 2007 - Wellington

Maui’s dolphin death one too many

Contact: Kirstie Knowles, Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate 021 426 984

The discovery of a dead Maui’s dolphin today at Raglan underlines the urgent need to increase protection of these critically endangered marine mammals.

This is the fourth dead Maui’s dolphin recovered this summer. It was, ironically, found the day before Maui’s Dolphin Day. This week is Seaweek and 2007 has been designated International Year of the Dolphin.

The dead Maui’s dolphin was recovered by the Department of Conservation from Ngaranui Beach, Raglan. The cause of death is at this stage unknown. Set nets are the single biggest threat to Maui’s dolphins.

“Maui’s dolphin is on the brink of extinction so the loss of a fourth dolphin this summer increases the chance the species will disappear unless immediate action is taken to protect them,” Forest & Bird Conservation Advocate Kirstie Knowles says.

“With only 111 individual Maui’s dolphins left the Government can’t afford to be complacent.”

Maui’s dolphins are found only in waters off the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. As the North Island subspecies of Hector’s dolphin, it is the smallest and rarest marine dolphin species in the world. Maui’s are recognised as critically endangered by the IUCN (World Conservation Union) and are considered to be facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

Current protection measures include a set net ban within four nautical miles of the coast from Maunganui Bluff (north of Dargaville) to Pariokariwa Point (north of New Plymouth). This does not protect Maui’s across their entire range, particularly within harbours and estuaries.

“Today’s death highlights the need for government to implement stronger measures to better protect Maui’s dolphins,” Kirstie Knowles says.

“The critically endangered Maui's dolphin cannot withstand any human-induced deaths if it is to survive and recover to a safe population size”.

Forest & Bird wants the seas around New Zealand to be declared “set net free” to protect Maui’s and Hector's dolphins and other marine wildlife from an indiscriminate fishing method. “The Government needs to ban set nets in all waters less than 100-metres deep,” she says. “A Marine Mammal Sanctuary is needed to remove other human threats”.

Maui’s Dolphin Day is being held tomorrow in Raglan to raise awareness about the status of Maui’s dolphins and the need to better protect them. The event is being held at Kopua Domain, Raglan, between 10am and 4pm. Forest & Bird is participating in this event alongside community, government and other non-government organisations. For more information see http://www.forestandbird.org.nz/Marine/hectorsdolphin.asp

ENDS

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