Forest and Bird Senior Researcher, Barry Weeber, said the report highlighted the threatened state of Hector�s dolphin, in particular the critically endangered North Island sub-species.

The report was prepared by the Cetacean Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN), an intergovernmental and non-governmental conservation organization.

Mr Weeber said the report shows the perilous state of many populations of whales and dolphins. �Survey�s have found fewer than 25 of the world�s rarest dolphin, the baiji freshwater dolphin from China and that less than 100 North Island Hector�s dolphin may exist.�

�The report recommended increased protection of New Zealand�s endangered Hectors dolphin and the critically endangered North Island Hector�s dolphin.�

Mr Weeber said among the recommendations was an increase in the size of existing protected areas for Hectors dolphin to include the harbours and bays in the North Island marine mammal sanctuary, and also extend the offshore boundaries for North and South Island sanctuaries.

�The IUCN report follows another report in the journal Nature that revealed a crisis in world fisheries with plummeting fish numbers caused by over-fishing.�

Mr Weeber said fishing was highlighted as one of the major threat to dolphins of entanglement with fishing gear and the �appropriation of bays for aquaculture�.

�Forest and Bird will be asking the Government about the actions it intends to take to further protect Hectors dolphin in light of the IUCN�s recommendations,� Mr Weeber said.

�There is a crisis in the world�s marine environment that can no longer be ignored,� he said.

�Many New Zealanders are unaware of the seriousness of the situation in our marine environment. Fish stocks are declining, rare species are declining and heading towards extinction. The fishing industry is in denial and the government appears unable to stem the decline�, he said.

well I must admit that I have never hooked a whale or Dolphin. so i suppose they are just trying to prevent me from doing it eh? The only way I will belive that f & b or doc are serious is if they were to totally ban everyone (including them selves) as they have done at Little Barrier.
Even then the fact they are trying to dictate as to how I live is unjust. Wont be long and sport like rugby and soccer will be stopped as well.
Just imajin..wake up go to work then come home and prepare for the next day of the same, no hope of any freedom..wonder why our forfathers died at war?

Guys...

without word of a lie, we hooked an estimated 100kg common dolphin in the mouth on a tuna jet about 4 years ago in Whakatane.....stooooopid thing....tough scrap on 37kg, but thought we had better get the hooks out of it just in case it washed up on a beach with 100m of mono and two 9/0s hanging out of it's gob!

Well if theirs only 100 of these hector`s dolphins left, guess we were pretty lucky to be able to observe 30  to 40 of them, off Waihou bay last january!!!