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Dolphin in Brazil helping with fishing illustration

Dolphins and fishermen working together

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Gray whale (eschrichtius robustus) Gray whale in Ojo de liebre lagoon Baja California.

Why we’re walking for whales to save the world

We've got enormous ambitions when it comes to fighting climate breakdown, and so two members...
Dolphins with keepers in the new Windsor Safari Park. Image: PA Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Three decades on from UK’s last dolphin show, what needs to change?

The UK hasn't had captive whales and dolphins on display for 30 years, but it's...
Fishers' involvement is crucial. Image: WDC/JTF

When porpoises and people overlap

We're funding a project in Hong Kong that's working with fishing communities to help save...
Whale evolution cover

How did whales end up living in the ocean?

Kidzone - quick links Fun Facts Curious kids Blogs Fantastic fundraisers Gallery Splish and Splash...
Fishers chatting

Scottish fishers working with us to reduce risks to whales

Small changes to fishing gear could make a big difference to whales around Scotland, and...

Mindful conservation – why we need a new respect for nature

'We should look at whales and dolphins as the indigenous people of the seas -...
tins of whale meat

How Japan’s whaling industry is trying to convince people to eat whales

Japan's hunters kill hundreds of whales every year despite the fact that hardly anyone in...

Will New Zealanders Vote for Dolphins?

New Zealand has a national election campaign running until 20 September. Until now it was difficult to tell where each political party stood on the matter of saving the endangered New Zealand (Hector’s and Māui) dolphin. This smallest of all the dolphins with the rounded dorsal fin is beloved around the world but they’re being wiped out by fishing nets.

Working with groups in New Zealand, WDC has put together a Voters’ Guide to rate the parties and to show how to vote for healthy seas and healthy dolphin populations.

In WDC’s recent economic study with Economists at Large, we found that New Zealanders by a large majority want to save their iconic dolphin and most would be willing to pay more for fish and chips and even a dolphin tax to help the species recover. Now with this Voters’ Guide everyone knows precisely where the parties stand — which ones are willing to help and which are not. The ruling National Party, for example, and Act are the worst! Of course any party can change their stance if they don’t like their position in the guide. It’s up to them. But after the election, WDC will be working hard to help ensure that whoever wins takes action to help save these dolphins.

For more information, about each Party and their position, go here.

About Erich Hoyt

Erich is a Research Fellow at WDC and Co-chair of the IUCN Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force. He is a director of the Far East Russian Orca Project (FEROP). View references to Erich's published material on Google Scholar. Follow Erich on Twitter.