A few days ago, a Maui’s dolphin was killed in a fishing net off the coast of New Zealand. Sadly, dolphin drownings are fairly common in many parts of the world as a byproduct of fishing practices dangerous to wildlife. But what makes this news especially tragic is that the Maui’s species is critically endangered and on the brink of extinction.
In July 2011, a study of genetic samples showed that the Maui’s dolphin population had dropped to about 100 or fewer individuals. When the numbers get this low, every dolphin is precious from a genetic standpoint. Decreased diversity in the gene pool means that the animals may become less resilient to climate change, pollution, and habitat loss due to development and seabed mining. The dolphins are also less able to survive disease, which would destroy the species at this point.
Maui's Dolphin (Photo taken from scoop.co.nz)
The smallest and rarest marine dolphin, Maui’s dolphins are a subspecies of the endangered Hector’s dolphins. About 7,000 Hector’s dolphins exist now compared to 26,000 in the 1970s. Hector’s dolphins are only found in the coastal waters of New Zealand’s South Island, while Maui’s dolphins are only found off the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island.
Maui’s dolphins stay very close to the shore, which puts them at a greater risk of getting tangled in fishing nets. Their slow breeding cycle doesn’t help either. Females breed at around 7-9 years old, then wait until each calf is fully independent before breeding again. Calves mature in about 2-3 years, meaning that a female may only have four calves in her lifetime. The small growth rate of 2% means that at the most, a population of 100 Maui’s would increase to only 102 in a single year.
The dolphins breed barely fast enough to replace the numbers that die by drowning in fishing nets. An estimated 110-150 Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins drown in fishing nets each year. That’s why the population is stagnant or dwindling.
In 2008, the New Zealand government banned set nets in certain areas along the western coastline. Even so, more protections are needed. The recent Maui’s dolphin death occurred in an area outside of the current restrictions.
Bottom line: The set nets and trawling nets need to go.
To save the Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins, WWF-New Zealand is urging the government to increase regulations of net fishing and trawling as well as extend the current ban into harbors and further along the coastline. The organization is also working with communities and schools to educate them about sustainability, focusing on marine life and especially the Maui’s and Hector’s dolphins. In order to know more about the dolphins’ range, anyone who sees a Maui’s dolphin is asked to report it to 0800 4 MAUIS, a special sightings hotline.
So what can you do?
Please sign this petition from Change.org to save the Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins. (Last checked, 3,000 more signatures are needed to reach the goal of 7,500).
Visit the WWF-New Zealand “Stop Their Extinction” campaign page to learn more about the issue and the dolphins. You can also use this site to adopt a dolphin or send an e-card to your friends to let them know what’s going on.
Thanks for reading! Also, I’d love to know what you’re doing to help the environment and save wildlife. Please let me know in the comments section!
One Species at a Time 