This mortality tracker is an extinction watch tool. It records deaths that are listed on the Department of Conservation Māui and Hector’s dolphin Incident Database. It only includes dolphins that have been reported, and uses DoC and Fisheries NZ information.
In the year before onboard cameras there were two dolphins reported dead in trawl nets. In the 15 months since the roll out of cameras, there have been at least 13 (to May 2024). A 500% increase. The onboard camera roll out shows that only halfway through 2024, Hector’s dolphin deaths from the trawl fishing industry are almost five times the 2022 year’s total figure and more than half again on top of the 2023 total.