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Welcome to the new format of Māui Watch!

Issue 5

Autumn 2016

Upcoming event: Māui dolphin day

 

It’s that time of year when a whole town comes together to celebrate the environment, the community and Māui dolphins. Raglan’s Māui Dolphin Day is this Saturday 12 March at Te Kopua Domain.

Once again DOC is having a stall, but this year we're also doing something special.

We'll be launching our new children’s book Meet the Māui!

Like I see a Sea Lion! and Peeking at Penguins!, Meet the Māui! uses simple facts and illustrations to tell the story of our own Māui dolphin.

To accompany the book, DOC will be highlighting three key themes at Māui Dolphin Day this year:

  • The Māui dolphin is a taonga (treasure) of the sea, a gift from Tangaroa

  • Become a kaitiaki (guardian) for Māui dolphins by taking personal responsibility for the environment

  • Involve children in conservation for the future.

Meet the Māui! will be hitting bookshelves in DOC visitor centres shortly, at only $9.90 each. All proceeds go back into DOC. If you're lucky enough to attend Māui dolphin day this year, look out for the DOC marquee and grab yourself a copy!

 
Poster for 2016 Māui dolphin day at Te Kopua Domain, Raglan
 
Cover page for the 'Meet the Māui!' children's book being launched in Raglan on 12 March.
 
 

Get your kids involved!

 

Art is a great way to teach children about conservation and to get them involved. Asking children to draw or create artwork about the dolphins and their threats helps kids to connect with the animal and the issue. Some students of Raglan Area School’s Te Rōpū Aroha ki te Reo created the artworks above.

 

Have you seen me?

 

ID: M010

Last seen: M010 has been identified seven times during the 3 years since photo identification work began. Each time, M010 has been seen somewhere along a 50 km stretch of coast between Cochrane’s gap on the Awhitu Peninsula and the Auckland–Waikato boundary. This dolphin was seen most recently on 17 February 2015 in a group of nine dolphins just south of Cochrane’s gap.

 

Recent sightings

 

Date: 27 December 2015, 7 February 2016, 27 February 2016

Number: 2–3

Location: Outside the Manukau Harbour entrance.

Nick Holwerda has seen Māui dolphins on three occasions this summer! They were all swimming alongside his boat as he was exiting the Manukau Bar south channel.

Report māui dolphin sightings

 

Research update

 

The second year of the Māui dolphin field study on population size began in February this year. DOC and MPI staff are again working with the University of Auckland and Oregon State University to get out on the water and find Māui dolphins. They are using photo ID and DNA techniques to identify how many and which individuals have been seen before. They will compare the results with those from  last year to estimate how many there are. The same approach was taken in 2010 and 2011, which estimated that the Māui dolphin population was 48-69 dolphins over 1 year of age.

Scott Baker and Cara Hansen measuring water clarity during the 2016 survey.

DOC and MPI are also trialling the use of C-PODs, which are able to detect the clicks used by the dolphins! We want to see if we can use these to determine where Māui dolphins hang out. A similar study was done between 2005 and 2008 using an earlier model called a T-POD.

 

Team Māui

 

This edition we have something a little different for our staff spotlight. We're highlighting a special position that exists in Taranaki during summer.

Ariarna Hickey, 20 years old, is currently in her second year of a marine studies degree at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic. During her summer break she has returned to New Plymouth to work with the Department of Conservation as a Māui dolphin advocate ranger.

In this role she engages with boat users, beach-goers, and surfers to raise awareness of this endangered species. The focus is on a few key messages: how to identify the dolphin, who to call if you see one, and the ‘Rounded fin? Send it in!’ slogan.

Using a survey on an iPad, she can record information from boat users’, such as: 

  • what they are doing on the water
  • where they are fishing and at what depth, and
  • general attitudes and comments.

Sightings of Māui dolphins help determine the distribution and habitat of the dolphins and may help determine where protected areas should be.

Ariarna has talked to a high number of recreational boat users over the summer months and the interaction has been generally positive. There has also been good engagement with the survey questions.

Ari Hickey handing out Māui dolphin brochures at popular Taranaki surf spots, Rocky Point and Graveyards.
 

New marine mammal sanctuary resource

 
The cover page for the West Coast North Island Marine Mammal Sanctuary Users Guide

Confused about marine mammal sanctuaries? Then this resource is for you.

DOC is currently distributing a new West Coast North Island marine mammal sanctuary users' guide booklet. The users' guide outlines all you need to know about the sanctuary, including:

  • Where it is
  • The purpose of the sanctuary
  • Wildlife you can find in the sanctuary
  • Rules and regulations that are in place

Contact your local West Coast North Island DOC office, or email marine@doc.govt.nz, to request a copy.