Taranaki Regional Council supports in principle plan to save rare Hector and Maui's dolphins

Tuesday, 3 September 2019

WWF NZ researcher Amanda Leathers explains why Hector's and Māui dolphin are on the brink of extinction. (First published May 9, 2019)

The Taranaki Regional Council has called for more iwi consultation before a central government-led targeted management plan is adopted to save the rare Hector and Maui's dolphins from extinction.

In a submission on the proposed Hector Maui Dolphin Threat Management Plan (HMTMP), the regional council said the dolphin deaths were 'human induced'.

The submission was endorsed at a council policy and planning committee meeting on Tuesday.

Rare Maui dolphin are at risk from human-induced threats such as fishing, disease, seismic testing and seabed mining.

The Department of Conservation and Fisheries New Zealand released the threat management draft plan in June to receive public feedback on a range of threats to the coastal dwelling mammals, such as fishing, toxoplasmosis, seismic testing and seabed mining.

* DOC says cat disease is threatening Maui and Hector's dolphin**

The draft plan proposed extending existing fishing restrictions in coastal areas, increasing the marine mammal sanctuary in the South Taranaki Bight, and increasing restrictions for oil and gas exploration and extraction.

Urgent research was needed to understand the complex threat of toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease thought to be spread by cat litter run-off into waterways, the council said.

The dolphins live close to the coast in North Taranaki marine sanctuary and it is estimated that between 57 and 75 Maui's dolphin still exist.

In contrast, as many as 15,000 Hector dolphins have been estimated, mainly in the South Island.

The council's submission said iwi-held fishing quotas may be impacted by the plan, and any restriction on fishing must be weighed up against socio-economic effects on the local fishing industry.

An increase in commercial fishing restrictions could also restrict cultural fishing for tangi and to date there had been little consultation with iwi on this subject, the council said.

At their meeting, councillors agreed to add a recommendation to the submission requesting more consultation with iwi before the plan was passed.

The council was 'generally' supportive of extending the marine sanctuary, which would cover the whole of the Taranaki coastline.

However the council 'would be concerned if unreasonably prohibitive options were adopted for some of the lesser human-induced impacts, such as seismic surveying and seabed mining', the submission said.

A review of the regional council coastal plan would require seismic testing on the Taranaki coast to be a controlled activity and a resource consent required.