African Penguins Face Dire Threat: Research Pinpoints Cause

Climatic shifts and fisheries have significantly unsettled the ecosystem’s equilibrium.

Over 60,000 African penguins perished from lack of nourishment following a steep reduction in the sardine presence off the shores of South Africa. A recent investigation reveals that a convergence of altered climate conditions and intense commercial angling has had a devastating consequence, with two pivotal populations on Dassen and Robben Islands forfeiting over 95% of their numbers between 2004 and 2012.

The Guardian furnished this account.

Experts clarify that penguins face heightened vulnerability during their molting phase, which spans approximately three weeks. Throughout this interval, they are unable to hunt and depend solely on conserved energy. Due to insufficient sustenance, a multitude could not endure this stage. Researchers posit that most of the deceased succumbed at sea, as no widespread body discoveries occurred.

As per the journal Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology, the diminution of the sardine population, Sardinops sagax, in the area is pervasive, exhibiting a decline in biomass nearly each year commencing in 2004, ultimately diminishing to about 25% of its maximum level. The predicament has been compounded by fluctuations in the warmth and saltiness of coastal waters, which have adversely impacted spawning, and significant commercial fishing practices have only amplified the predicament.

By 2024, African penguins were officially classified as critically endangered. Currently, fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs persist in their natural habitat.

To preserve the species, conservation advocates are broadening protection initiatives: deploying manufactured nests, safeguarding colonies from predators, and saving frail hatchlings in specialized recovery facilities. They’ve also proscribed commercial sardine capture using seine nets in proximity to the six principal colonies to guarantee the birds’ access to nutrition.

Nonetheless, scientists caution that the circumstance remains precarious. Scientist Lorien Pichegru from Nelson Mandela University underscores that the study findings encompass solely the duration leading up to 2011, and ensuing observations do not present appreciable enhancements. In her assessment, prompt measures are imperative to revive small fish reserves – not exclusively for the advantage of penguins, but also for the conservation of entire marine ecosystems.

By way of reminder, the foremost penguin chick emerged near Vernadsky Station this past weekend. This signifies a comparatively premature inception for the initial subantarctic penguin offspring on Galindez Island.

Source: tsn.ua