The Department of Conservation in Invercargill notified us that there was a dead dolphin on the beach at Colac Bay. It was identified as a Hectors dolphin and was found less than two hundred metres from the car park at the Tīhaka end of the Colac Bay Foreshore Road.

The dolphin was just over a metre in length and looked to be in good condition. It will be interesting to know what the cause of death was when they conduct the necropsy as there were some marks displayed on the outer skin on the body and around the dorsal fin.

The Hectors dolphin is one of the world’s smallest and rarest dolphins and are similar to the endangered kākāpō, in that they do not breed very often, which causes problems for the species survival.

Female dolphins only produce one calf every 2-4 years and do not start breeding until they are seven to nine years old. This slow rate of reproduction makes the populations particularly vulnerable to deaths caused by human activities, such as set net fishing.

Iain MacCallum and Joe Wakefield with the dolphin.

Iain MacCallum and Joe Wakefield with the dolphin.