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Table 9.33: The state of cetaceans (whales and dolphins) found in New Zealand waters
| Species | Distribution | Global Status 1 | Status in NZ Waters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) | Southern Hemisphere | Vulnerable. Current population probably below 5,000, but recovering. Originally more than 60,000. | Threatened. Population in the hundreds. |
| Pygmy Right Whale (Caperea marginata) | Southern Hemisphere | Insufficiently known. Never hunted | Apparently rare. |
| Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) | All oceans migratory | Vulnerable. Perhaps 25,000, but recovering. Originally around 150,000. | Rare. Small migrating population passes through NZ waters. |
| Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus intermedia) | All oceans | Endangered. Below 5,000 (less than 1,000 in the Southern Hemisphere). Originally more than 200,000. | Very rare. Occasionally seen, but mostly polar. |
| Pygmy Blue Whale (musculus subsp.) | Southern Hemisphere | Endangered. Severely depleted. Population less than 8,000. | Rare. |
| Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) | All oceans | Vulnerable. Probably below 150,000. Originally probably 500,000 to 1 million. | Rare. Occasionally seen but mostly polar. |
| Sei Whale (Balaenoptera borealis) | All oceans | Vulnerable. Probably less than 60,000. Originally may have exceeded 250,000. | Regularly seen near NZ. |
| Bryde's Whale (Balaenoptera edenii) | Tropical and temperate seas | Insufficiently known. Maybe 80,000-100,000. Slightly below original numbers. | Frequently seen off the North-east coast of NZ. |
| Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) | Polar oceans | Insufficiently known. Maybe 800,000-900,000. Some northern stocks have been depleted, but Antarctic stocks may now exceed original size. | Occasionally seen around NZ, but aggregate on polar feeding ground in summer. |
| Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus) | All oceans | Insufficiently known. At least several hundred thousand. Originally probably exceeded one million. | Common, but far out to sea except near Kaikoura. |
| Pygmy Sperm Whale (Kogia breviceps) | Warm and temperate seas | Insufficiently known. Apparently uncommon, though never hunted. | Relatively common in NZ waters, but population trends unknown. |
| Orca (Killer Whale) (Orcinus orca) | All oceans | Insufficiently known. Probably several hundred thousand. | Apparently common, but population trends unknown |
| False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) | Warmer oceans | Insufficiently known, but nowhere abundant. | Apparently common, but population trends unknown. |
| Pilot Whales (2 species) (Globicephala) | All but North Pacific Ocean | Insufficiently known. Probably several hundred thousand. | Apparently common, but population trends unknown. |
| Beaked Whales (9 species) | Open ocean | All species insufficiently known. Apparently uncommon, though never hunted. | Regularly strand around NZ. Some species rare. Trends unknown. |
| Hector's Dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) | Endemic to NZ waters, mostly South Island | Indeterminately threatened. Numbers about 3,000-4,000. World's rarest marine dolphin. Confined to New Zealand. | Threatened. Original population and current trends are unknown. May have been depleted by set nets. |
| Common Dolphin (Delphinus delphis) | Tropical and temperate seas | Insufficiently known, but probably in the millions. | Abundant, but population trends unknown. |
| Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) | Tropical and temperate seas | Insufficiently known, but possibly in the millions. | Common, but population trends unknown. |
| Dusky Dolphin (Lagenorhyncus obscurus) | Southern Hemisphere | Insufficiently known, but common in cooler waters. | Common off the South Island. Rare north of Hawke's Bay. Population trends unknown. |
| Other cetaceans (6 dolphins, 1 porpoise, 1 melonhead whale) | Mostly tropical or polar waters | Insufficiently known, but most apparently not at risk | Rarely stray into NZ waters. |
1 Global population estimates are highly uncertain, being based on sporadic sightings, limited surveys, and reported catch data. Many estimates have not been updated since commercial whaling was banned in the mid-1980s (IUCN, 1991).
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