Download AEBR 252 Hector’s dolphin survey after the November 2016 Kaikōura earthquake

Data from boat-based surveys north and south of Kaikōura Peninsula between 2013 and 2018 were analysed to assess potential impacts of the November 2016 earthquake on abundance and distribution of Hector’s dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) in the Kaikōura region. A binomial mark-resight model estimated 250 – 450 adult Hector’s dolphins in the area for most survey periods. Results do not indicate a substantial change in the number of adults using the area in the 16 months following the earthquake.