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The Dolphins of New Zealand

By Carole Herdegen

My last Earthwatch project was a study of the dusky dolphins off the shores of Kaikoura, New Zealand. It was fun to watch this very acrobatic species leaping, flipping and twisting high above the water's surface. Because these dolphins seem to enjoy human contact, "swim-with-dolphins" tour companies began to develop not only in Kaikoura but all along the coasts of South Africa and South America.

These are the natural habitats for the dusky dolphins. They are found in groups, some as large as a thousand. Over the last twelve years, there has been a dramatic increase in the numbers of eco-tourists wanting to swim with these friendly and people-loving dolphins. This, of course, begged the question: "Is this a good development or is there potential harm being done by this new sport? And, the answer would in part come from a study brought to the attention of the Earthwatch Institute and to be conducted by scientists concerned about the welfare of not just the dusky dolphins but of all other dolphin species.

As a volunteer on the project, it was necessary for me to observe the behavior of dolphins and keep extensive records of what was taking place before, during and after visits of the boats containing paying tourists wanting to "swim-with-dolphins".

The short-term effects of the dolphins appeared to be minimal. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy human contact and to perform for people. The dusky dolphins of our study are wild and happen to have made their summer home in the large area around the bay of Kaikoura. During the daylight hours, their routine seemed to be that of spending time resting and playing close to the shore. As evening approached, the dolphins would swim out to sea to feed on phytoplankton, schools of small fish and squid.

There was usually quite a feeding frenzy when these menu items would rise to the water's surface at night after residing deep in the sea during the day.

This project was to investigate the long-term impact of human contact on the dusky dolphins by monitoring their behavior over several years. The results of the project would then be proposed as recommendations to the boat owners. Fortunately, the boat owners had already imposed some self-regulations, such as a mid-day "down-time". In other words, the dolphins were provided a recess from having to entertain human swimmers for several hours during the day. It will be interesting to eventually learn whether this "down-time" will make any noticeable change in dolphin behavior. It will also be important to determine whether increased tourism activity will drive the dolphins from this rich feeding area.

Our study methods were primarily from observation points on a cliff top as well as from a small boat. We photographed the dorsal fins of the dolphins with a high resolution digital camera. The photos were loaded on to a computer every night. We then would attempt to match up the fins with those previously taken.

From past experience, we knew that slightly over one-third of the dolphins have identifying notches in their fins. Therefore, it was simply a matter of identifying whether the fin was new or from a re-captured dolphin. If a matched set of dorsal fins was identified, we would give a name to this specific dolphin, which would also become a candidate for another element of our study.

Obviously, I thoroughly enjoyed being part of this research project. In the final analysis, I knew our findings would contribute to the formulation of public policy that would restrict the number of tour boats and swimmers permitted to visit the dolphins' habitats. I am also confident that such restrictions could only produce a "win-win" situation for both the dolphins and the tourism industry.

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