A bottlenose dolphin breaches in Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary. DoC is looking at changing some of the sanctuary’s rules to better protect dolphins.
A bottlenose dolphin breaches in Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary. DoC is looking at changing some of the sanctuary’s rules to better protect dolphins.
Changes are afoot for a Bay of Islands marine sanctuary set up to protect dolphins.
The Department of Conservation is encouraging the public to have their say on a proposed amendment to the Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary, set up in 2021 asa way to reduce the high levels of interactions marine mammals had with people and boats.
A science report commissioned by DoC and undertaken by Niwa and the Far Out Ocean Research Collective suggested “a trend of significant decline” was continuing in the number of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands.
The report stated 40 bottlenose dolphins were estimated to be in the area the previous autumn. The figure was a stark drop from the 244 dolphins in 1997 but an improvement on the population’s lowest point of 16 dolphins in 2019.
Bottlenose dolphins are an indicator species - their presence provides information about the condition of the marine environment in the Bay of Islands.
DoC is now proposing to alter some of the rules in the sanctuary after a review by DoC and Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Protection Advisory Committee Rōpū.
‘‘We always intended to observe, learn and adapt when we created the sanctuary in 2021,” DoC regional director Sue Reed-Thomas said.
“Now we have new science and monitoring data to guide us. This proposal is about refining our approach so our effort is focused where it will make the greatest difference for dolphins.”
A bottlenose dolphin breaches in Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary. DoC is looking at changing some of the sanctuary’s rules to better protect dolphins.
The sanctuary rules regulate how humans interact with marine mammals, particularly bottlenose dolphins, to protect them from harmful disturbances.
The current rules are:
people must keep out of the water within 300m of all marine mammals (dolphins, whales, seals);
vessels must maintain a 300m distance from all marine mammals and stop if the person in charge becomes aware of any marine mammal closer than 300m;
vessels must remain stopped until any marine mammal is more than 300m away;
vessels must observe a 5-knot speed limit in two marine mammal safe zones.
Reed-Thomas said recent surveys and scientific studies found dolphins in the sanctuary were rarely present in the two safe zones.
High-use areas are largely outside the safe zones but still within the sanctuary.
This suggests a DoC focus on other management measures will be a more effective way to support the recovery of dolphin populations.
She said the work also concluded that except for commercial operators holding a marine mammal permit, compliance with the sanctuary management measures is mixed, recording high levels of non-compliance with speed restrictions by powered vessels in the two safe zones.
“Removing the safe zones would allow us to focus protection where dolphins actually are – targeting education, compliance and enforcement around the measures that matter most,” Reed-Thomas said.
“This is about smarter protection, informed by science and experience.’’
DoC and Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Protection Advisory Committee Rōpu recommended the Minister of Conservation begin a statutory process to propose removing the safe zones, while maintaining the other management measures. The Minister has agreed to initiate the process.
“Together, we can take meaningful steps to ensure these taonga species are protected for generations to come,” Kipa Munro, Chair of Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Protection Advisory Committee Rōpū, said.
