About 85 kilometres south east of Christchurch lies a small tourist resort called Akaroa. With its French street names and restaurants, you might even feel that you are strolling around a small version of France when you visit this town. Obviously, that’s because this town was once a French settlement in the 1800s. Surely, there are many attractions to enjoy in Akaroa, but when I visited there a few months ago my main goal was to see dolphins. Not any dolphins, but the world’s rarest and smallest marine dolphins found nowhere else in the world.
Endemic to New Zealand’s coasts, Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is in fact, the world’s smallest and rarest marine dolphin species. With its adorable Mickey Mouse ear like dorsal fin, it won’t be hard to know one when you see one, although it won’t be easy to see one either. Small dolphins have small teeth, so they stick to hunting smaller fish as they are incapable of feeding on larger fish other dolphins eat.
Hector’s Dolphin has two subspecies. They are the common Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori hectori) found around the South Island and even smaller Māui dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori maui) found in the west coast of the North Island.
So far it is estimated that there are around 15,000 Hector’s dolphins and only 54 Māui dolphins older than 1 year, making the Māuis, not just the smallest among the smallest, but also the rarest among the rarest.
With these interesting, yet disheartening facts in mind, I set sail to glimpse these rare gems, last December with my cousins. A significant thing I noticed about New Zealand’s marine safari operators is that they don’t seem to rush. They take their time and respect the privacy of the marine wildlife. Something for Sri Lankan safaris to take notes on. As of my knowledge, there’s only one marine safari operator in Auckland and two in Akaroa, and you won’t see two boats at the same time, in contrast to the fleets of vessels rushing to see whales and dolphins in Sri Lanka. This makes sense because we need to see these animals without stressing or disturbing them.
Not far from the township, the Akaroa Marine Reserve provides a sanctuary for these dolphins, which of course is the best place to spot them in Akaroa. The boat cruise was pleasant and educational thanks to ‘Akaroa Dolphins’, the operator I booked for the tour. Along the way, I could check out the New Zealand Fur Seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) basking on the rocks, which was another first for me. However, I almost gave up my search for the dolphins due to the long wait. But when I saw those Mickey Mouse ears bobbing from the water, I was over the moon.
As pleasant as it may seem to glimpse one, the story of the Hector’s dolphin is not very pleasant. The main causes of their rarity are short lifespan, late maturity, and low reproduction. In addition, the threats to this species are many from unsustainable fishing, boat strikes to even cats.
Over time there have been reports of Hector’s dolphins getting caught on fishnets and hit by boats, but how can cats threaten them? It’s due to a disease called toxoplasmosis. Some cats host the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis and when their faeces mix with waterways the parasites eventually enter the ocean and infect the dolphins.
New Zealand already has so many great policies to protect these animals. However, a recent delay of an international sailing event held in Lyttelton, due to the spotting of the dolphins, sparked quite a stir. Some media personnel put the blame on these dolphins for being so vulnerable and the prime minister’s comments on the conservation policies didn’t sound very dolphin friendly either.
Regardless of whatever statements are made, protecting this species is a serious matter. It’s not just because it’s cute, rare, or endemic, it is globally recognised as a threatened species. The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) lists the common Hector’s dolphin as endangered and Māui dolphin as critically endangered.
Just like all other dolphins these are predators. They play a pivotal role in the food chain which keeps the ecosystem in check. We have seen enough examples of ecosystems collapsing due to the removal of one link in the food chain.
Furthermore, tourist resorts like Akaroa are highly dependent on how many travellers want to see this creature. A living dolphin is worth more dollars than a dead one.
But what can we do? It’s obvious, the government has to enact sustainable fishing practices and speed limits for boats; orgnaisers of marine racing events should be more considerate. Even as individuals we should focus on responsible cat ownership.
Hector’s dolphins are already burdened with natural causes that decline their population. We shouldn’t be making life harder for them.
Photo Credit: Akaroa Dolphins, Akaroa
By Thulitha Abayawardana – Auckland
