Today’s photo of the week is of a pod of playful dusky dolphins showing off their acrobatic skills near the Kaikoura coast.

Plans for a new marine reserve, whale and fur seal sanctuary, five customary fishing areas and amateur fishing regulations for Kaikoura’s coast and ocean were announced over the weekend.

This area is the most biologically rich ocean over 500 metres deep anywhere in the world, because of its deep canyon so close to shore.

It is hoped that these new marine protections and management tools will be in place by 2015.

This photo was taken by Bernd Plonderer | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.