January 23, 2024
Dolphin stranding a Mahia mystery
Rongomaiwahine Trust chair Paul Rātapu says there have been strandings of sea mammals at Te Māhia almost every week over the past year.
A pod of about 45 false killer whales and bottlenose dolphins beached at Taylor’s Bay on Sunday afternoon.
Department of Conservation staff euthanised them to prevent overnight suffering.
Mr Rātapu says there have also been strandings of sperm whales and pygmy sperm whales.
As part of its relationship under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the iwi is trying to help DOC understand the causes of the problem.
“Unfortunately, there’s just not enough science. So we work as closely as possible with DOC to gather as much samples through skin samples and measurements, and necropsy at the moment. So hopefully, we can build up a better picture of what’s happening to these beautiful creatures, and then consequently, do a root cause analysis of what might be causing them to be stranded more often,” he says.