Whale population at risk of extinction says Mark Orams
Professor Mark Orams has warned of the local extinction of Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf and a loss of a tourism industry if measures are not put in place to keep them safe in Auckland shipping lanes.
An endangered whale was killed in the gulf after it was struck by a ship last week.
A necropsy determined the whale experienced severe trauma causing death, including15 fractured vertebrae and broken ribs as well as a large area of extensive bruising.
Mark Orams says while ship strikes in the Hauraki Gulf are sporadic, it still poses a major threat to the species.
He has personally attended to two dead Bryde's whales in the Hauraki Gulf and has seen the consquences of ship strikes first hand.
"If it continues to happen, we can potentially see a local extinction of the species in the Hauraki Gulf," Orams said.
"Actually, it's a bit dire. They are not migratory so the loss of even one Bryde's whale is significant because it means the breeding rates will slow and a decline in breeding will lead to extinction."
Orams proposed a "simple and easy short term solution" to keep the mammals safe would be to impose speed restrictions on large ships passing through the Hauraki Gulf to Ports of Auckland.
A longer term soloution would require significant research and time.
"If we are able to determine hot spots, and that can take years, then we would be able to relocate ships approaching those areas."
There are six to 10 Bryde's whales currently in the gulf and over time 80 invdividuals have been recorded.
Dedicated whale watching tours in the area will also grind to a halt if the number of mammals decrease, resulting in the loss of tourism.
"It's simple, there will be no whale watching. If they are low in numbers then you can't have tourism based on [whale watching]," said Orams.
