The Land of the Long White Cloud - SMM 2

Highlights of the last couple of days at the SMM - which has manly been meeting in four simultaneous sessions have included impassioned pleas for the improved protection of the Maui's dolphins (New Zealand's genetically distinct sub-species which is now down to only some ~55 individuals); many papers related to the threat posed by noise to marine mammals; and a panel session looking at the issue of captive orcas.

Here are a few images:

Michael Jasny presented an overview of the work on ship-quietening technologies which he has been helping to lead.

Michael Jasny

 Here the man himself in full flow.

Barbara Maas of the German NGO NABU calling for more action for the Maui's dolphin

And reminding us of the statement made by the IUCN on this sub-species.

The Panel discussion met in a packed hall:

The Panel: from the left: Duffus, Rose, DeMaster, Orams, St Leger and Baird.

DeMaster presented data on survival.

A series of questions were put to the panel that had been made by its members and provided to the panelists a few days earlier, starting with this one:

 Then this one

The question from Erich Hoyt (below) elicited support from all the panelists for a call on the Russian government to stop taking orcas.

The full panel discussion was recorded and will be available through the SMM website a future point, so I will not say more now but try to provide the appropriate link in due course.

The Land of the Long White Cloud - Christchurch, Like a Phoenix.

Christchurch here in the South Island of New Zealand has recently been hit by two substantive earthquakes and after-shocks continue.

In February 2011, a quake killed 185 people. It was centred 2 kilometres west of the Christchurch port-town of  Lyttelton, which perches around the steep edge of an old volcanic caldera. This followed nearly six months after a magnitude 7.1 quake which had already caused significant damage to Christchurch and the central Canterbury region but no out-right deaths.

Many buildings were destroyed by the quakes, including the whole commercial centre of the city and many old stone churches. The ruined cathedral has become a widely-known symbol of the local devastation.

At the time of my visit, most of the rubble has been cleared from the city centre and the roads are mainly  mended, if eccentric in places. The redoubtable spirit of the local people can be seen as they go about their business across this greatly changed landscape which includes many empty blocks in the middle of what was once New Zealand's second most highly populated city.

Lyttleton port today - a busy hub, including for the timber industry.

Poppies bloom among the remaining patches of rubble

Lyttleton Saturday market back in business

Lyttleton from across the water

Moving to Christchurch city itself:

The city continues to mourn.

But there are many symbols of hope.

The city's emblematic trams are again running

Containers have been converted to shops and cafes in the city centre: one for example is a book shop, another sells bread and two have been put together to make a coffee shop with a little Christmas tinsle

The ruined cathedral is surrounded by a Sunday market

An angle watches

Efforts are being made to save the old museum/art gallery

More container shops - note the wonderful sky

The Land of the Long White Cloud - SMM 1

So we are now in Dunedin for the conference of the Society of Marine Mammalogy (SMM) Conference. 

The Society meets every two years and brings together many of those working on marine mammal issues from around the world. Some 1,200 participants were expected to attend. 

Dunedin also turns out to be the home of the world's biggest and most ornate train station!

The conference is opened by a greeting from the local Maori people

Keynote presentations then following begining with one from Professor Barabara L. Taylor who spoke on: 'All the ingredients - how to succeed in marine mammal conservation'
She took examples from the key issues of the 20th century: including the Canadian seal hunt.

And the tuna-dolphin issue of the Pacific (showing how actions led to a decline in take)

Then she moved to the current issues - the 'usual suspects':

And looked at the interplay between the various players in such issues - The scientists, NGOs, courts etc.

And her conclusions are summarised here:

The next key-note speaker, Steve Dawson, told us about the precarious situation of New Zealand's endangered dolphin species - The Hector's dolphin, including its genetically distinct North Island sub-species, the Maui's dolphin.

The Maui's dolphin population is very small.

Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho (seated below) then told us about another highly endangered species: the vaquita of the Gulf of California.

Lorenzo being introduced by conference co-organiser Liz Slooten.

The 'Kenneth S. Norris Lifetime Achievement Award' was presented to Ian Stirling who is famed for his work on polar bears.

Ian Stirling

 Professor Stirling then detailed the significance of climate change for both the polar bear and its seal prey.

And the day finished with a panel event: the panel looked at humane killing of marine mammals - and in particular whether this (and welfare in particular) should be considered further by the SMM. On the panel - left to right: James Kirkwood of UFAW, Nick Gales (President-elect of the SMM), Sir Geoffrey Palmer (Ex-Prime Minister of New Zealand and New Zealand Commissioner to the IWC, Paul Jepson of ZSL and Diana Reiss.

It was agreed that the society would continue with its work on welfare.

The Land of the Long White Cloud 6: The Birds of Banks Peninsula

The road to the old whaling settlement at Peraki Bay descending into the mist

Oikanes Bay - not a whaling settlement but a place where whalers settled with their Maori wives

A black-backed gull faced with a closed clam

Takes it into the air and drops it on the wet sand until...

lunch is served

A variable oystercatcher (its mate chased me away - I must have been close the the nest)

The Pukeko or purple swamp hen

Australian crested grebes among the ducks (the grebes are a rare native species)

Californian Quail (male)