First endangered baby Hector’s Dolphin spotted in Akaroa Harbour

Local and international passengers aboard the Black Cat Cruises’ ‘Swim with Dolphins’ cruise were delighted to spot the first endangered Hector’s Dolphin calf of the season on Thursday 1st December.

Black Cat Cruises Sales & Marketing Manager Natasha Lombart said crew spotted the baby calf with its mother in the Akaroa Harbour near the Akaroa Salmon Farm.

Lombart explained "our passengers and crew were absolutely thrilled to spot the first new-born baby Hector’s Dolphin of the season.

“The Hector’s Dolphin is one of the smallest and rarest marine dolphins in the world. Female dolphins only produce one calf every two to four years and do not start breeding until they are between seven and nine-years-old. The species’ slow reproduction rate and coastal habitat cause major problems for its survival because it is particularly vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets.

“The Hector’s Dolphin breeding season runs from late spring to early summer so this young calf has appeared at the perfect time.”

Hector’s Dolphin calves are 50 to 60 centimetres long at birth and stay close to their mothers who provide them with milk and protection for about a year until they are old enough to fend for themselves.

Black Cat Cruises skipper Andrew Hopley said the sighting was the perfect way to kick off the start of summer, commenting “the calf is barely a week old. You can tell a calf’s age by the folds in its skin which are caused by being tucked away in its mother’s womb.

“We had a full swim boat with 12 local and international passengers and they were all really excited to see a calf from such a rare species of dolphin thriving in its natural habitat. Our passengers are invited to observe the calves from the boat and take photographs however we don’t allow them to swim with them. After a few minutes we continued on our cruise and connected with a separate pod of dolphins elsewhere in the harbour to complete our midday swim experience.”

In 2015, Black Cat Cruises became the first eco-tourism operator in Canterbury to receive a Sustainable Marine Mammal Actions in Recreation and Tourism (SMART) certification from the Department of Conservation (DOC).

Lombart added “we comply with DOC’s environmental regulations, and unlike many overseas operators, we do not allow people to hold onto the dolphins.”

SMART is a voluntary collaboration between commercial boat operators and the DOC for the protection of marine mammals in New Zealand. It aims to promote responsible behaviour around dolphins, whales and seals by boat operators.

Black Cat Cruises swim photographer Jen Lawrence took the first shots of the dolphin calf from the deck of the cruise vessel.

Lombart says the Black Cat Cruises team hopes to see more calves in the coming weeks.

The Hector’s Dolphin is only found off the coast of New Zealand and is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

They live for up to 20 years.

Images: The Hector’s Dolphin calf spotted by Black Cat Cruises last week (top) and Akaroa Harbour (below).

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