Matariki whale signposts resurgence of tohorā/southern right whale
The sight of a tohorā/southern right whale such as Matariki in Wellington harbour wasn’t just a fluke or a one-off – a
report released today by the Department of Conservation (DOC) confirms their population status is continuing to improve.
The latest Marine Mammal Threat Classification Report (MMTCR) has revised the threat status of tohorā from “Threatened –
Nationally Vulnerable” to “At Risk – Recovering” since the last report in 2013.
“The data show there’s been genuine improvement in the population of southern right whales with ongoing growth rates of
7% per year,” says Dr Dave Lundquist, a marine mammal biologist with DOC who led the expert panel which produced the
report.
“This growth rate reflects the continued recovery of the population after industrial whaling was ended.”
Alongside tohorā, New Zealand sea lions/rāpoka and Hector’s dolphins have also changed to a better conservation status
though their populations are still a long way from being out of danger.
Rāpoka has moved two categories from “Nationally Critical” to “Nationally Vulnerable”. This is largely a reflection of
an apparent stabilisation in population size at the Auckland Islands since 2009 and increases in other breeding
locations – Moutere Ihupuku/Campbell Island, Rakiura/Stewart Island and the mainland – during this time.
The change in conservation status for Hector’s dolphins (from “Threatened – Nationally Endangered” to “Threatened –
Nationally Vulnerable”) is because abundance estimates demonstrate there are more dolphins around the South Island than
previously thought, rather than any actual improvement in the species.
“While the situation appears to have improved in some locations for Hector’s dolphins due to protection measures in
place, the dolphins are still exposed to risk in much of their habitat outside those protected areas,” Dr Lundquist
says.
The false killer whale moved from “Not Threatened” to “At Risk – Naturally Uncommon”. Previous assessments for this
species were largely based on what we know from the stranding record and this change is a result of more knowledge
indicating the population is likely to be naturally small. However, the data on the species remains poor.
“Marine mammals are still susceptible to impacts from human activities, so we need to be vigilant in reducing and
mitigating these effects,” Dr Lundquist says.
The MMTCR shows that 30 marine mammal species are listed as “Data Deficient”.
“We don’t know much about many of the marine mammal species that live in New Zealand waters. We’d like to see more
research in this area so we can better understand the threats facing these creatures and design work to mitigate them,”
Dr Lundquist says.
Read the report here:
Background information:
Explanation of the NZ Threat Classification System categories: https://nztcs.org.nz/home
About the threat classification series
The NZ Threat Classification System (NZTCS) is a tool to assess the conservation status of species in NZ.
DOC administers the system on behalf of New Zealand, by convening and supporting expert panels of scientists to conduct
assessments of groups of species, approximately every five years.
The assessments are a desktop exercise to review the state of knowledge about the size of populations and expected
trends over the next three generations, or 10 years, (whichever is longer).
The expert panels evaluate information that is available at the time; they do not specifically survey or monitor
populations, nor do they commission such work.
Southern right whales/Tohorā: population size estimated at: >1000 animals.
NZ sea lions/Rāpoka: population size estimated to be in the 5000-20,000 mature individuals category. The population trend, previously
assessed in 2013 as declining over 70% in three generations, is considered to have slowed with population estimates
stable or increasing at some locations. The trend is now assessed as a 30-50% decline over three generations.
Hector’s dolphins have also moved from “Threatened – Nationally Endangered” to “Threatened - Nationally Vulnerable”. The change is a
result of improved data on population estimates, rather than actual improvement to the status of the species. The
population is estimated at approximately 15,000.
False killer whales https://www.farout.org.nz/what-we-do/false-killer-whales.html
https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/false-killer-whale (US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)