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WCC 2012 Rec 142 - Activity Report

Submitted by Barry.WEEBER.2 on Sat, 11/30/2019 - 11:24
General Information
Actions to avert the extinctions of rare dolphins: Maui’s dolphins, Hector’s dolphins, Vaquita porpoises and South Asian river and freshwater dependent dolphins and porpoises
IUCN Constituent: 
Environment and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand
IUCN Constituent type: 
IUCN Member
Period covered: 
2019
Geographic scope: 
Pacific Ocean
Country/Territory: 
New Zealand
Implementation
Indicate and briefly describe any actions that have been carried out to implement this Resolution: 
ActionDescriptionStatus
Policy influencing/advocacyThis resolution - operative para 1 - has not been implemented to protect critically endangered Maui dolphin and endangered Hector's dolphin. For Maui dolphins the International Whaling Commission’s (IWC) Scientific Committee Small Cetacean Working Group has recommended action over several years. In 2018 they stated: “Nonetheless, the sub-committee noted that no new management action has been enacted since 2013 and concludes, as it has repeatedly in the past, that existing management measures in relation to bycatch mitigation fall short of what has been recommended previously and expresses continued grave concern over the status of this small, severely depleted subspecies. The human-caused death of even one individual would increase the extinction risk. The sub-committee: (a) re-emphasises that the critically endangered status of this subspecies and the inherent and irresolvable uncertainty surrounding information on most small populations point to the need for precautionary management; (b) reiterates its previous recommendation that highest priority should be assigned to immediate management actions to eliminate bycatch of Māui dolphins including closures of any fisheries within the range of Māui dolphins that are known to pose a risk of bycatch to dolphins (i.e. set net and trawl fisheries); and (c) notes that the confirmed current range extends from Maunganui Bluff in the north to Whanganui in the south, offshore to 20 n.miles, and it includes harbours - within this defined area, fishing methods other than set nets and trawling should be used” The NZ Government has yet to put forward measures which would meet the requirements in the resolution or the recommendations of the IWC Small Cetacean Committee.On-going
Please report on the result /achievement of the actions taken: 
ECO and other NGO members of IUCN in NZ has been urging the NZ Government to take action to protect Maui and Hector's dolphin from fisheries bycatch. A new threat management plan and limited action has been proposed by Government agencies. ECO is concerned that current flawed process of updating the threat management plan for the dolphins and the limited actions proposed will again fail these these dolphins. This has been pointed out in submissions to the NZ Government.
What challenges have you encountered in implementing this Resolution and what measures have you taken to overcome them?: 
The failure of Government agencies to engage in a transparent way with the science and management processes. The IWC Small Cetacean group has been a useful scientific reviewer on action.
Identify and briefly describe what future actions are planned for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Future ActionDescription
Policy influencing/advocacyECO, its members, have been highlighting the problem with actions proposed and the action proposed in this resolution. ECO will work to highlight the failure of Government agencies to adequately address the threats fishing pose to the dolphins.