A recent study conducted by Dr. Matt Dunn of the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA) and his team, in collaboration with the New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC), has revealed a concerning increase in interactions between turtles and surface longline fisheries during the 2020/21 fishing season. The study also found that most leatherback turtles caught as bycatch were released alive, but their post-release survival remains unknown. The map below (Dunn et al., 2023) illustrates the locations where leatherback turtle captures (indicated by red dots) were reported by fishers and observers between 2007 and 2021, with a total of 217 captures recorded, including 50 during the last fishing season.
In New Zealand, all sea turtles are protected species; however, effectively conserving leatherbacks in coastal waters is challenging due to limited knowledge about their abundance and distribution in this region. to address this critical information gap, Upwell has partnered with NIWA and Monash University (Australia) to propose an aerial survey project to the DOC, which was approved. The surveys will be conducted in the Bay of plenty off the North Island during the austral summer of 2025. Similar to our work in California, Upwell and our collaborators at NOAA will follow our established methodology (described below) for conducting these surveys in New Zealand.
During an aerial survey, observers search from a plane’s windows (preferably floor or bubble windows) while flying along evenly spaced transects at an altitude of 200 meters (approximately 600 feet) above the ocean’s surface.
rnrn
Such a magnificent creature in its natural habitat, glad to see efforts being made to protect them!