Hector’s Dolphin
Hector’s Dolphins are the smallest dolphins in the world. They average 4 feet in length and 110 pounds in weight. They have rare black and white coloring, sort of like an Orca whale. Their dorsal fins are often called Mickey Mouse ears. Hector’s dolphins can be found off the shores of New Zealand where there are only 7000 left. They will stay in water that is 100m or shallower, making them especially prone to get caught in nets.
If we were ranking the food chain, Hector’s Dolphin’s would be near the top. They help regulate populations of many fish, squid, and mollusks. An interesting role they play in the food chain is allowing a fish called the white-fronted tern to feed with them and catch/control populations of smaller fish.
The reason Hector’s Dolphins are declining in population is partially due to their diet. They stay close to shore to feed which causes them to easily become tangled in gillnets and struck my boats.
Hector’s Dolphins provide a great deal of tourist attraction in New Zealand, so losing them would be detrimental to the New Zealanders who make a living off of the tourism industry. These dolphins are controlling populations of smaller fish and allow white-fronted tern to feed with them. So if they were extinct and no longer a part of the ecosystem, small fish would over-populate and white-fronted terns may not be able to feed- also building into small fish over-populating.
Currently, there are plenty of attempts to ban the use of gillnets in the Hector’s Dolphin’s habitat. A major effort is by the New Zealand Department of Conservation where they have created a “sanctuary” that bans commercial gillnets year-round, and bans amateur gillnets between November and February. However these bans don’t always work, and the sanctuary only protects a portion of the area where the dolphins live. There are also 3 pesticides that Hector’s Dolphins are prone to accumulating. These will transfer into fetuses and nursing calves and kill the baby dolphins. These pesticides were banned in 1989, however they are still found in New Zealand soils and are causing harm to the species.
Geographers have used geospatial tools to measure the coastlines of Otago, New Zealand and attempt to get accurate numbers and locations of Hector’s Dolphins. They found that there were 2 major areas of population, and the 2 didn’t often mix. The majority of surveys are conducted using photo-IDs, but some also used the track-recording function of a Garmin GPS to record where the encounters were starting and stopping.
Ways you can support conservation of Hector’s Dolphins:
- Tell tourists and visitors to avoid nonselective fishing when visiting New Zealand
- Limit personal use of plastic — this waste is going straight into the ocean and is part of what kills these dolphins
- Sign this petition to encourage President Biden to prioritize the health of the planet: https://support.worldwildlife.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1045
- Adopt a Dolphin to support world wildlife conservation efforts ($25-$100): https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Dolphin.aspx?sc=AWY1705OQ18316A01275RX&_ga=2.87996632.1950137561.1621454051-1462193596.1621454051
- Read! Learn about dolphins and educate yourself on the different species. Teach the world!
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