Marine & Coast

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Hector's Dolphin

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Whales

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Whales

New Zealand is home to a number of species of whale. The two whale families are:

1. Baleen whales eg. Southern right whale, Humpback whale, Bryde’s whale
2. Toothed whales e.g. Sperm whale, beaked whales, dolphins

Decades of poorly regulated hunting has reduced populations of most of the large whales to low, and in some cases critical levels.

Despite a history of whaling in New Zealand, all marine mammals within the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone are now protected under the 1978 Marine Mammals Protection Act and New Zealand has led the moves to ban whaling internationally.

Forest & Bird has for many years supported colleagues in other ENGOs, the government and the people of New Zealand in it’s anti-whaling stance.

In December 2007, Don Richards led a day of action to highlight the start of Japan’s season of ‘scientific whaling’ in the southern Ocean. Joined by Forest & Bird, the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Greenpeace, the Green Party and others, speeches from the event can be downloaded here:

1. Rt. Hon. Sir Geoffrey Palmer
2. Simon Childerhouse, Dept. Marine Science, Otago University
3. Philippa Brakes, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society
4. Don Richards
5. Naoko Funahashi

New Zealand’s stance against whaling has led to us being recognised as a world leader in marine mammal protection. However, Forest & Bird also urges the New Zealand government to tidy up it’s own act and better protect our endangered marine mammals:

1. Hector’s and Maui’s dolphins
2. New Zealand sea lions

This page was updated on 14 January, 2008