Date:  09 January 2025

The juvenile/subadult dolphin, which was travelling with a fully grown dolphin, was first reported to DOC’s hotline on 29 December.

DOC Operations Manager, Kirsty Prior, says the team located the dolphin and its companion at 12:50 pm yesterday.

“The disentanglement team were able to get a working line with grapnel and floats on the animal. This allowed the team to bring the dolphin close to the boat and work carefully with specialist knives to cut it free by 1:54 pm.

“We monitored the area for several hours and can confirm the dolphin is free of the entanglement and swimming strongly.

“It will now likely take time to heal and rest after before moving out of the area. Please give the dolphins space during this time.

“We would like to thank everyone who called the hotline, the public were vital in helping our team do their job successfully”, says Kirsty.

Jocelin Friend from Te Kawerau ā Maki welcomed the invitation to be on the vessel and see the disentanglement take place.

“Te Wai Roa ō Kahu and Rangitōpuni awa are our ancestral waterways. Our duty as kaitiaki is to ensure our taonga species are treated with utmost care.

“I was impressed with how the team worked together swiftly, carefully and in respect of tikanga Māori to safely free the dolphin”, says Jocelin.

A reminder to everyone to stay vigilant on the water and keep their distance from marine mammals and to report any sightings to 0800 DOC HOT (0800 36 24 68).

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