Maui's dolphins are classified as critically endangered, as there are only 55 left in the world. They only inhabit the west coast of New Zealand. The main cause of these creatures' dwindling population are the many fishing nets along the coast, which catch many of these dolphins and kill them. Researchers have determined that if fishing is not banned in these areas, these dolphins will go extinct in as little as a year. These dolphins have a lifespan of about 20 years, but only reach reproductive maturity after 7 years, and only calve about once every 3 years. There may be as few as 20 breeding females left. If things do not change, they may follow the Baiji Dolphin, once prevalent in the waters of China, in extinction.
These beautifully patterned dolphins only grow to about 1.7 meters long.
Maui dolphins are so cute and it is sad to hear that there are only 55 left in the world. I think they need to make a law that if people are going to fish in west coast of New Zealand they must check there nets everyday to make sure that there aren’t any dolphins caught in them. Maybe in forcing a law such as this will help the Maui dolphin’s numbers improve.
ReplyDelete