Errant boaties force changes to Bay of Islands dolphin sanctuary rules

DoC is now proposing to alter some of the rules in the sanctuary after a review by DoC and Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Protection Advisory Committee Rōpū.

‘‘We always intended to observe, learn and adapt when we created the sanctuary in 2021,” DoC regional director Sue Reed-Thomas said.

“Now we have new science and monitoring data to guide us. This proposal is about refining our approach so our effort is focused where it will make the greatest difference for dolphins.”

A bottlenose dolphin breaches in Te Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands) Marine Mammal Sanctuary. DoC is looking at changing some of the sanctuary’s rules to better protect dolphins.

The sanctuary rules regulate how humans interact with marine mammals, particularly bottlenose dolphins, to protect them from harmful disturbances.

The current rules are:

people must keep out of the water within 300m of all marine mammals (dolphins, whales, seals);vessels must maintain a 300m distance from all marine mammals and stop if the person in charge becomes aware of any marine mammal closer than 300m;vessels must remain stopped until any marine mammal is more than 300m away;vessels must observe a 5-knot speed limit in two marine mammal safe zones.

Reed-Thomas said recent surveys and scientific studies found dolphins in the sanctuary were rarely present in the two safe zones.

High-use areas are largely outside the safe zones but still within the sanctuary.

This suggests a DoC focus on other management measures will be a more effective way to support the recovery of dolphin populations.

She said the work also concluded that except for commercial operators holding a marine mammal permit, compliance with the sanctuary management measures is mixed, recording high levels of non-compliance with speed restrictions by powered vessels in the two safe zones.

“Removing the safe zones would allow us to focus protection where dolphins actually are – targeting education, compliance and enforcement around the measures that matter most,” Reed-Thomas said.

“This is about smarter protection, informed by science and experience.’’

DoC and Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Protection Advisory Committee Rōpu recommended the Minister of Conservation begin a statutory process to propose removing the safe zones, while maintaining the other management measures. The Minister has agreed to initiate the process.

“Together, we can take meaningful steps to ensure these taonga species are protected for generations to come,” Kipa Munro, Chair of Ngā Hapū o Pēwhairangi Marine Mammal Protection Advisory Committee Rōpū, said.

Public consultation runs until March 30 at doc.govt.nz.