Small vessels contribute substantially to coastal soundscapes, presenting myriad potential impacts on marine species and ecosystems, yet are challenging to monitor using standard tracking methods (e.g. AIS). Here, we present an automated camera system developed to quantify coastal vessel traffic in a core habitat for Hector's dolphins ( Cephalorhynchus hectori ) within Akaroa Harbour, Aotearoa New Zealand. Analysis of 55,569 i...

Recreational use of wild spaces is increasingly popular, resulting in a burgeoning tourism industry. Such activities can degrade the environment and disrupt the behaviour and natural function of organisms. A small population of bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) is resident in Dusky Sound, New Zealand, a fjord with increasing human use. Dolphins, as top predators, play an important role within ecosystems and are at ris...

Southern right whales ( Eubalaena australis ) were widespread in New Zealand waters before commercial whaling in the nineteenth century caused drastic declines in their abundance and distribution. Following the cessation of whaling, the population has been recovering and is now slowly recolonising its former range. Estimates of population demographics, including reproductive output, are essential for predicting the trajectory...

The bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus ) of Dusky Sound, Fiordland, New Zealand are a little‐studied group at the southern limit of the species range. Conducting a photo‐identification census and capture‐recapture analyses, we estimated there were 102 (CV = 0.9%) bottlenose dolphins in Dusky Sound during summer 2007/08, the first abundance estimate for this population. We did not encounter individuals from Doubtful Sound...

Aerial surveys of Hector's dolphins were carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of the Banks Peninsula Marine Mammal Sanctuary. In summer, the proportion of sightings inside the 4 nautical mile offshore boundary of the sanctuary was 79%. This dropped to just over 35% in winter. These estimates were used in a population viability analysis to determine whether the sanctuary needs to be extended to reduce dolphin bycatch to su...

Mortality of Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in gill‐net fisheries is a threat to local populations throughout its range. This population viability analysis extends previous work by exploring a wider range of fishing levels and population growth rates, by incorporating year‐to‐year and environmental variability and by reporting results for smaller population units. Ten of the 16 populations are likely to continue to...