Friday, 19 April 2013 21:16
Letter to New Zealand Prime Minister regarding seismic surveys and Maui's dolphin
Rt. Hon. Mr John Key
Prime Minister of New Zealand
Hon. Mr. Nathan Guy
Minister for Primary Industries
Hon. Mr. Nick Smith
Minister of Conservation
Parliament Buildings
Wellington 6011
New Zealand
17 April 2013
Dear Sirs
The Society for Marine Mammalogy is the World's largest professional group dedicated to the study of marine mammals, with a membership of approximately 2,000 scientists from 60 countries. Its goal is to facilitate the understanding and conservation of marine mammals and the ecosystems that support them.
I write to you as President of the Society concerning ongoing seismic surveys within the area of protection for Maui's dolphins Cephalorhynchus hectori maui. The most recent science indicates that only about 55 individuals of this subspecies remain and government agencies are currently considering protection measures to eliminate deaths in fisheries by removing gillnets and trawling from the protected area.
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