A recent thesis has provided the first population estimate of common dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf.
Massey University student Dr Krista Hupman estimated 10,500 common dolphins visited the Gulf between 2010 and 2013. The baseline abundance estimate enables monitoring and future re-evaluations.
While the most abundant of the Gulf’s dolphins, common dolphins face numerous pressures (including fisheries by-catch, pollution, vessel strike, and tourism) and the study suggests this population size should not be assumed to be sustainable.
Photo-identification and its application to common dolphins in the Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand
