| How would you feel if there were only 111 elephants
left in the world? |
Please read on to find out how a New Zealand dolphin is a great deal
worse off than that and what you can do to protect it today.
Gill netting and trawling have pushed Maui's and Hector's dolphins to the brink of extinction. Both species occur only in New Zealand. Hector's dolphins have declined from an estimated 26,000 in the 1970s to just 7,000 today. The situation for Maui's is even worse. A staggering 90% have drowned in fishing nets and just 111 animals survive.
The New Zealand government is making up its mind on what to do about this issue now, after having delayed its decision from December 2007 to May 2008.
China's Yangtze River dolphin was declared extinct at the end of last year. Now one of the greenest countries on earth is in danger of allowing another dolphin to disappear forever.
Maui's dolphins are the world's smallest and most endangered dolphin and will not survive if more than one animal is killed every 5-7 years. But at least 12 Maui's dolphins have died in the past 5 years. CWI funded research has shown that Maui's dolphins live in waters that are currently unprotected and therefore are unsafe. Only complete protection against fishing-related mortality will save them from extinction.
Current protection is not enough to save them. But the
fishing industry has fought even these measures, has taken the
government to court (and lost), and continues to fiercely oppose all
steps to fully protect the last survivors.
The Government's decision in March is absolutely critical to if Hector's
and Maui's dolphins are to be saved. At the end of 2007 the NZ
Government published a Draft Threat Management Plan which fails to
include measures that would fully protect Hector's and Maui's dolphins.
Even the most stringent measures proposed offer less than 50:50
chance of population recovery to just half their 1970s numbers by 2050.
The only way these animals can be saved is if all threats from
commercial and recreational fishing are removed.
If a progressive, environmentally conscious country like New Zealand
won't do everything possible to prevent the extinction of
these iconic animals because of industry pressure, what hope is there
for any of the world's endangered species? It is important to realise
that there is no middle ground here. You can't be a little extinct.
New Zealand's Prime Minister, Helen Clark said that "Our reputation as a
country with a clean and green environment is priceless. Failure to
protect it by inaction on sustainability would pose a considerable
economic risk to New Zealand."
Please send an email to New Zealand's Prime Minister, asking her to
ensure Hector's and Maui's dolphins are fully protected.
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To the Rt Hon Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand,
Thank-you for your Government's consideration of Hector's and Maui's
dolphin conservation under an extensive draft management plan. With a
decision due in March, I am disappointed that the plan does not include
a choice that would afford Hector's & Maui's dolphins full protection
against fishing-related mortality across their range.
This decision strikes at the heart of New Zealand's environmental
credibility. The looming extinction threat and your beautiful country's
motto "100% pure New Zealand" demand decisive action " action which is
within your power.
Hector's dolphins are almost as rare as tigers and Maui's dolphins are
one of the rarest animals on earth. Like the Kiwi, these animals are a
national treasure, which New Zealand safeguards on behalf of the world.
With China's Yangtze River dolphin declared extinct at the end of last
year, please do not allow another dolphin species to disappear forever.
Even one death is one death too many. I therefore respectfully urge you
to ensure that your Government adds full and uncompromising protection of Hector's and
Maui's dolphins against fishing-related bycatch and extinction to its
impressive environmental credentials.
Yours Sincerely
[your name]
[your address]
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