In Auckland, New Zealand this February, the IWC will hold the first in a new series of workshops, reviewing dolphin species in the South Pacific Island region.

There are 34 identified species of cetacean in the South Pacific and it’s likely that additional species are present but not so far detected. In common with many other regions, one of the main threats to cetaceans in the South Pacific is incidental fishing bycatch.  Pollution, ship strike and climate change are some of the other known threats. 

The review will focus on five key species and the inaugural workshop will seek to identify stakeholders from the South Pacific region, summarise existing research and identify knowledge gaps, before developing a framework to progress the overall review.

The five key species are:

short-finned pilot whales 
false killer whales 
melon-headed whales 
pygmy killer whales 
rough-toothed dolphins

The workshop will run in collaboration with the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and the IWC Bycatch Mitigation Initiative (BMI).  The Government of the Netherlands has generously provided funds for this workshop which will be held at the University of Auckland, New Zealand.

Read more about this new work programme in the Scientific Committee 2023 Report of the Small Cetacean Sub-committee