From Aotearoa to Mexico: Our AI Detects the World’s Rarest Porpoise

At MAUI63, we’re always exploring how the technology we’re developing here in Aotearoa can be used to protect other endangered species around the world.

Recently, we had the opportunity to collaborate with a team of researchers and engineers in Mexico and the United States who are working to detect and monitor the critically endangered Vaquita - the world’s rarest marine mammal, found only in the northern Gulf of California. 

The Vaquita faces extreme risk, with fewer than ten individuals estimated to remain. The international team shared drone footage from their recent surveys so we could test how our AI detection model, originally trained on Māui and Hector’s dolphins, would perform when applied to a different species and environment. 

The results were encouraging - our model successfully detected Vaquita in their imagery. Even though the survey conditions were quite different, with varying flight altitudes and less distinct colouring than the black-and-white patterns of Māui dolphins, the detections were clear. The team’s footage also featured unusually uniform water conditions, which helped the model perform well straight “out of the box,” without the need for retraining. 

These early tests demonstrate that our approach - combining aerial imagery with AI-powered detection - is transferable across species and environments. It means the same system helping us locate Māui dolphins off the coast of Aotearoa could also support conservation work for other rare dolphins and porpoises around the world. 

Collaborations like this are at the heart of what we do. By sharing knowledge, tools, and data across borders, we can collectively accelerate conservation innovation and strengthen global efforts to protect species on the brink of extinction.