International Whaling Commission expresses ‘grave concerns’ for Maui’s dolphins

Commission urges NZ govt action to save Maui’s, again

(Wellington, 22 June) The world’s leading whale and dolphin scientists have expressed their ‘grave concerns’ about the survival of the last 55 Maui’s dolphins, and reiterated their calls for urgent action to save these animals from imminent extinction.

The newly released International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee report concludes that the New Zealand government is falling short of protecting Maui’s dolphins and urges the highest priority be given to eliminating the risk to dolphins from entanglement in setnets and trawl nets before it is too late.

“Action to protect Maui’s dolphins is long overdue, and not only is the delay making the road to recovery for the world’s smallest and rarest dolphinmore difficult, the repeated issuing of extinction warnings that go unheeded is tarnishing New Zealand’s reputation on the global stage,” said Peter Hardstaff, WWF-New Zealand’s Head of Campaigns.

“WWF urges the government to act without further delay and to help affected fishers transition to dolphin-friendly methods.”

The IWC recommends that Maui’s dolphins should be protected throughout their entire range, from Maunganui Bluff in Northland to Whanganui, offshore to 20 nautical miles and inside harbours. Currently less than half of Maui’s current range is protected by fishing restrictions.

New population modelling from Professor Liz Slooten was presented at the Commission’s meeting last month that revealed the population of Maui’s dolphins would continue to decline under the current limited protection measures, with the likelihood of the population having just 5 breeding females in 2033. However, under the IWC’s recommendations, the population has a much higher chance of recovery.

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