Maui's dolphins: project overview

Keeping a sky eye on Maui's dolphin

In New Zealand, WWF has initiated an aerial research study to find out exactly where the Maui's dolphins live, in summer and winter.

They are concentrated close to shore in summer, with individual dolphins further offshore. This shows that it is questionable whether they are safe in the gill net free areas.

Dolphins take no notice of the boundary of fishing net bans. It only takes one dolphin to stray outside the area for it to be at risk, and with a population so low this is too great a risk.

But it's in winter that Maui's dolphins go further offshore. Recent results from an offshore survey show that dolphins are consistently found out to 5.5 kilometres (3 nautical miles). This means they're in the path of trawlers which are only banned out to 1.85 kilometres (1 nautical mile). WWF will use these results to lobby the government for further protection.

We cannot underestimate the risk Maui's face from fishing activity outside the protected areas.

For more aerial survey results, see the section on distribution.

Closer look at an aerial survey
Ever wondered what happens on an aerial survey? We take a look at an aerial survey of the Hector's dolphin. The Maui's dolphin is a sub-species of the Hector's dolphin, so the survey works in the same way for both dolphin species.

Our vision
Only around 100 Maui's are thought to remain. When a population is this low, all external human threats must be eliminated. If this species is to have a chance of recovery, there can't be more than one human induced death every seven years. Despite this, since July 2001, seven dead Maui's have been found, and five of these were fishing related. We've got a lot of work to do.

It's our goal to see the population of Maui's dolphin recover. To do that we need to end deaths through fishing activity. Ultimately, we want to ensure the children of New Zealand, and visitors from around the world, have a chance to see the Maui's dolphin in 2030, because that's how soon it could be extinct if we don't act now.