17 hours ago
Annual whale and dolphin count underway
Photo:
konart/123RF
An annual count of whales and dolphins is underway, with people across the motu keeping an eye out for sea mammals - big and small - from humpbacks to Hector's dolphins - this Matariki.
The Countrywide Whale and Dolphin Count started on Friday and will run through to Sunday.
Organiser Christine Rose said late June was "peak whale" time. Previous cetacean censuses had seen participants send in sightings of humpback and rare beaked whales, orca, and Hector's dolphins.
She said the land-based survey, which was in its sixth year, helped raise awareness of our oceans.
"It's important to encourage people to appreciate and celebrate the wonder of our oceans, and how precious they are, and also as part of citizen science to roughly track how many whales and dolphins are around our waters."
Rose said the count also celebrated the vulnerable sea mammals while highlighting the need to still protect them.
"[It gives people] the chance of seeing humpbacks and Southern Right [whales], which were almost driven to extinction, and celebrates the opportunity for resilience and recovery of species which are so majestic but were almost wiped out."
Rose said it was "exciting and a privilege" to see these creatures from land, and in some of the country's biggest and busiest ports.
"Those Southern Right Whales were taken to the brink of extinction, so it's an indelible experience for people to see a whale, especially so close to shore. It feels like we're being trusted by whales again. These animals are incredibly long lived, they're on epic journeys and every time you see one it feels special."
"I've seen whales and dolphins thousands of times, yet every time it's a reminder of our special role as stewards of the oceans that we share."
People can report sightings to Whale and Dolphin Watch's
Facebook page
.
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