Drone will spy on dolphins to save them
A sophisticated drone is the latest hope in the drive to bring the Ma¯ui’s dolphin back from the brink of extinction.
MA¯ UI63, a not-for-profit organisation, has developed an artificial intelligence-powered tracking drone to autonomously find, follow and identify Ma¯ui’s and Hector’s dolphins.
Ma¯ui’s are recognised as the world’s rarest dolphin, with a population of 63 or less.
Hector’s dolphins are the South Island subspecies, with about 15,000 left. The marine mammals, with a distinct rounded fin and black and white markings, are also the world’s smallest, and found only in New Zealand. They are at risk from set-net fishing, suffocating when they become entangled; climate change; seismic surveying; and newborns are especially vulnerable to boat strike. Another serious threat is the disease toxoplasmosis, spread through cat faeces and washed into the ocean.
MA¯ UI63 believes that by identifying and locating individual dolphins, decisions can be made to protect them. Co-founder Dr Rochelle Constantine, who has been studying marine mammals for 25 years, said the dolphins were ‘‘our most urgent conservation problem’’. ‘‘We currently do not have a robust understanding about Ma¯ui’s dolphin distribution, particularly during winter months and at different times of the day and night,’’ she said. ‘‘Of critical importance for conservation, we don’t know how often dolphins use some areas that fishers are operating in, which is where there could be remaining risk of entanglement.’’
The drone would help fill in ‘‘critical science gaps’’ about Ma¯ui’s dolphin distribution and how they use their habitat.
The $350,000 drone flies at between 140kmh and 160kmh, and has a 50km range and a 50x zoom lens. It is hoped it could be deployed once a month. Currently, the West Coast dolphins are surveyed for only three weeks every five years.
The technology is so sophisticated it can distinguish Ma¯ui’s and Hector’s dolphins from other species from hundreds of metres above the ocean. It will also track reproduction and identify mothers and calves – vital information on a species that breeds slowly.
Females produce one calf every two to four years, and the population may only be able to grow by 2 per cent a year.
MA¯ UI63 partnered with WWF-New Zealand to raise funds, and with the Department of Conservation, Ministry for Primary Industries and fishing companies Moana New Zealand and Sanford Ltd to get the project off the ground. The data will be uploaded and shared publicly.
It was launched in Auckland yesterday. WWF-New Zealand chief executive Livia Esterhazy says the technology could mean the difference between extinction and survival. ‘‘If we don’t remove all the threats they face and protect the right places, and Ma¯ui’s dolphins become entangled in fishing gear or are harmed by seismic surveying, we could lose them forever. Their population is that critical.’’
Both fishing companies would like to use the drone technology to reduce the risk of Ma¯ui’s and Hector’s dolphins coming into contact with their nets.
Last year, the Government extended setnet fishing restrictions down the whole of the west coast of the North Island, and increased the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary to extend north to Kaiko¯ ura, south to Timaru and offshore to 20 nautical miles.
DOC is also developing an action plan to deal with toxoplasmosis, and a moratorium was placed on commercial tourism permits targeting Ma¯ui’s dolphins. However, some experts and environmental groups argued the new protection plan was piecemeal and ‘‘a pathway to extinction’’.