The scientists and conservationists with the not-for-profit group MAUI63 are using AI and other tools to support the conservation of the Māui dolphins, named after the Polynesian demigod, Māui.

Māui dolphins play an important part of the ecological and spiritual fabric of Aotearoa — the Māori name for New Zealand. They inhabit the waters off the west coast of the country’s North Island — also known as Te Ika-a-Māui, which translates to “the Fish of Māui.”

Weighing 50 kilograms and measuring up to 1.7 meters when fully grown, Māui dolphins are one of the smallest members of the marine dolphin family and among the most elusive. They have white, grey and black markings and black rounded dorsal fins. Unlike human facial features, the markings don’t vary between animals, meaning individuals can’t be identified with the naked eye. Conventional ways of monitoring and studying these fast-moving animals at sea have proved problematic and costly. Researchers admit relatively little is known about their behavior, particularly in winter when weather conditions deteriorate.