The SailGP Marine Mammal Management Plan (MMMP) released late last week is a farce, say advocates.
“Hector’s dolphins are in crisis” says Māui and Hector’s Dolphin Defenders Chair, Christine Rose.
47 Hector’s have been reported dead since November 2021, and 17 since November last year. Most of the reported deaths have been in Canterbury. “Yet race organisers are putting dollars before dolphins with this high speed boat race in the heart of Hector’s home, which is in fact, a marine mammal sanctuary”, says Rose.
The new plan, released late last week, is a farce”, says Rose. The 2024 SailGP Marine Mammal Management Plan builds on last year’s plan. However Rose says “That was not robust, not complied with and was not enforced, so it’s hard to give this version much credit.”
“Even the Plan’s author admits it doesn’t eliminate the risks of this race to the dolphins, and he accepts no responsibility for impacts on dolphins that occur.”
The MMMP says the race organisers will stop the boats if dolphins are seen in the race area or buffer zone. But Rose says it’s almost impossible to keep track of the dolphins in real time. The Plan relies fully on land and boat based observers yet the dolphins are very small and hard to spot.
Rose says “The process to prevent dolphins being hit during race times is a farce. The Observer reports a sighting to the Hector’s Dolphin Observer manager, who reports it to the MMMP facilitator who reports it to the Event Control room manager who reports it to race management. This long chain of command works against the rapid response needed to avoid any collision risks.
The consequences of a boat strike for Hector’s would be fatal – especially for calves, who spend more time on the water surface and are slower to dive.
Boat strike is not just a problem during active races but also during training, with race support boats and the spectator fleet creating much more traffic, wake and hazards right where the dolphins and calves live.
“The Lyttelton Marine Mammal Sanctuary, Hector’s habitat, is no place for a high speed boat race” says Rose.
We should know by now. Nothing, absolutely NOTHING must get in the way of wealthy people having their fun.
They consulted and made a plan, ticked the boxes. Not their fault if it was rubbish and didn’t work.
Somehow those horrible, careless people always win. It’s never their fault. Sickening.
Care should be taken and organizers held to account if death or damage is done but at the end of the day we need the money generated by this event .Times are hard for some small traders who are also an endangered species.
Have sailboat races- as opposed, to say, filthy American cruiseships, ever caused the death of a dolphin?
NZ people were very glad to see American cruise ships when the Japanese were eyeing up the area 80 years ago and they would be welcome if China or Russia get ideas of expansion
I don’t believe SailGP should take place in a marine mammal sanctuary at all, regardless of a managent plan.
However, the biggest ongoing threat to Mauis / Hector’s dolphins is toxoplasmosis vectored through cat shit. Where is the management plan for cats?