MauiDolphin

Maui's Dolphin

Marine Mammal Sanctuary for Maui’s Dolphin July 2008 New measures to increase protection of Maui’s dolphins have been announced and are now open for public comment. The public can comment on the new measures and submit on any desired changes, such as stronger regulations in the proposed sanctuaries. A Marine Mammal Sanctuary for Maui’s Dolphins on the North Island West Coast and new commercial fishing regulations, are among the hard-won new measures that resulted from public pressure to save these dolphins. Nationally, the Government announced its intention to establish four new marine mammal sanctuaries off the coast of the North and South islands in key dolphin habitats, where seabed activities like mining and seismic surveying, will be restricted or managed. West Coast, North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary The proposed boundaries extend from Maunganui Bluff in Northland to Oakura Beach, Taranaki, in the south. The sanctuary’s offshore boundary would extend from mean high water springs out 12 nautical miles (nm). The total area of the sanctuary would be approximately 1,200,086 hectares covering 2,164 km of coastline. New Fisheries Regulations As well as this Marine Mammal Sanctuary, the Ministry of Fisheries is expected to gazette new commercial and recreational fishing regulations in October this year. In the North Island these include an area of the North Island west coast, from Maunganui Bluff north of Kaipara Harbour to Pariokariwa Point north of New Plymouth. These measures include to; extend commercial and recreational set netting bans from four nautical miles to seven nautical miles offshore; ban commercial and recreational set netting: in the Kaipara Harbour entrance (west of a line that runs from Poutu Point to South Head) in the lower part of Port Waikato (refer to map) in the Raglan Harbour entrance (west of a line that runs north-west from Putoetoe Point) further into the Manukau Harbour than the existing set net ban (from Lawry Point south-east to channel marker no. 4, then south-west to a peninsula one kilometre south of Grahams Beach) extend trawling bans from one nautical mile to two nautical miles offshore from Maunganui Bluff to Pariokariwa Point, and to four nautical miles between Manukau Harbour and Port Waikato ban commercial and recreational drift netting in Port Waikato In response to the new measures, Forest and Bird says it is the most significant step taken in 20 years to bring Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins back from the brink of extinction. The Government has responded to the overwhelming public support for measures to protect these dolphins, according to Forest & Bird Advocacy Manager Kevin Hackwell. Forest & Bird congratulates the thousands of New Zealanders who spoke up for Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins and made public submissions last year. “The measures will go a long way towards halting the decline of the endangered dolphins and begin the slow path to recovery,” he says. “The dolphins are finally getting a lot of the protection they deserve.” The package of measures recognises the impact of set net fishing as the greatest threat to the dolphins. For most regions, the regulations around set net bans are consistent, making them easy to implement and enforce, he says. “An extra $6 million over the next three years for observers on all commercial fishing vessels within the dolphins’ range is also a good move,” Kevin Hackwell says. “We are very pleased about the four new marine mammal sanctuaries and the extension of the existing sanctuary off Banks Peninsula.” Maui's Dolphin - Rare and precious New Zealand's rarest dolphin, Maui's Dolphin, is found only on the west coast of the North Island and nowhere else in the world. With an estimated 111 left in the wild, Maui's Dolphin is on the edge of extinction. Maui's Dolphin is the smallest of the world's 32 dolphin species. Females grow to just 1.7 metres and weigh up to 50 kilograms, while males are slightly smaller. Maui's and South Island Hector's dolphins look different to other dolphins. They are the only dolphins with a rounded black dorsal fin and a black tail, flippers and eye patches. Other dolphins usually have a sickle-shaped fin. The dolphins are known to live up to 20 years. Females are not sexually mature until seven to nine years old and produce just one calf every two to four years. This means any population increase is slow. Maui's Dolphins are generally found close to shore in groups or pods of several dolphins. They are often seen in water less than 20 metres deep but may also range further offshore. Recent studies show the range of Maui's Dolphins has reduced since earlier surveys, with most sightings of dolphins now between the Manukau Harbour and Port Waikato. Fisheries regulations now ban set netting within four nautical miles of the coast from Maunganui Bluff (north of Dargaville) to Pariokariwa Point (north of New Plymouth). The Department of Conservation, Ministry of Fisheries, university researchers and conservation groups are seeking to understand the behaviour of the dolphins and factors affecting their survival. You can play in a part in this research by reporting sightings of Maui's Dolphins. Maui's Dolphin Presentation On 8th May 2007 Kirstie Knowles, Forest and Bird's national marine issues campaign advocate, gave a talk to 50 people at the Waimauku Hall on Maui's Dolphin. The talk covered: Why are they so special? Where are they found? Physiological and behavioural ecology Conservation Issues – the big picture What is being done? What are the gaps? What is Forest and Bird doing? How you can help Click here to download the presentation in pdf format.		Maui's Dolphin : to download the presentation by Forest and Bird's Kirstie Knowles at Waimauku on 8th May 2007....click here
		Forest and Bird Maui's Dolphin webpage: to read Forest and Bird's webpage on the Maui's Dolphin ....click here
		DoC Maui's Dolphin webpage: to view DoC's webpage and download a pamphlet ....click here
		Why ban set nets: Set nets kill nearly every fish, bird and marine mammal that swims into them....more.
		The DoC pamphlet is in an Adobe PDF file. To download Acrobat Reader free ....click here

	Art for the Kaipara Lynda Harris, Maui's Dolphin platter