Threats to African Penguins & Penguin Conservation

[Lisbeth]

Ships’ risky fuel transfers are threatening African Penguins

BY PETER RYAN, KATRIN LUDYNIA, LORIEN PICHEGRU - 3RD SEPT 2019 - THE CONVERSATION

The African Penguin is in serious trouble. Its population has fallen by more than 95% over the last century and, despite ongoing conservation efforts, its numbers continue to fall. There are now barely 20,000 breeding pairs in the world – and the largest colony is in South Africa, on islands around Algoa Bay in the country’s Eastern Cape province.

There are several reasons for the decline in African Penguin numbers. Historically, egg collecting played a major role in decreasing population numbers, and guano scraping for fertiliser removed important nesting habitats. But today the main threat the African Penguin faces is a shortage of the small fish it prefers to feed on.

Environmental changes coupled with local overfishing have seen the penguin’s prey shift their range from the west coast upwelling region to South Africa’s south coast. However, there are very few suitable breeding islands off the south coast, and that leaves the penguins with few safe breeding locations.

Now oil spills from a project that’s designed to harness the economic potential of South Africa’s oceans are threatening the world’s largest remaining African Penguin colony. Although there is a need to balance economic development and conservation, the African Penguin is an endangered species and – given that it is home to the largest colony – South Africa is largely responsible for ensuring its survival.

Oil spills

The colony is on St Croix Island, next to Coega harbour in Algoa Bay near the city of Port Elizabeth. The harbour is a deep-water, free trade port that’s a key component of Operation Phakisa – a government drive to promote the “blue” (ocean) economy.

For the last three years ship-to-ship bunkering, which involves the transfer of fuel from one vessel to another at sea, has been permitted in the bay close to this crucial seabird breeding island. In that time there have been two oil spills that have killed penguins and other seabirds in the area.

The Marine Pollution (Control and Civil Liability) Act 6 of 1981 prohibits such routine bunkering off the South African coast because it is an inherently risky operation. Small leaks in pipelines or tank overflows can cause serious pollution. Once oil has been spilled it is dispersed by currents and the wind. This makes it very difficult to contain.

Oil spills have severe effects on seabirds. Oil reduces the seabirds’ insulation, leaving them vulnerable to hypothermia. It also causes skin irritation and ulcers. They try to preen oil off their plumage, invariably ingesting some of the highly toxic fuel oil, which disrupts their endocrine systems. Penguins are especially prone to oiling because they are flightless, and so are unable to fly over polluted areas.

Rehabilitation facilities such as the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds SANCCOB do a tremendous amount to try and mitigate the effects of oil spills. But research shows that oiled African Penguins which are cleaned and released have lower breeding success than unoiled birds.

The two oils spills – one in 2016 and the other in July this year – near St Croix have affected at least 220 African Penguins and there are about 15,000 in the colony.

In each case, penguin nests containing eggs and chicks were abandoned. Cape Gannets and Cape Cormorants, both listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as globally endangered, were also oiled. Fortunately, both spills were relatively minor. A major spill could impact a large proportion of the beleaguered African Penguin population.

Environmental damage

This is a hugely worrying situation. No environmental risk assessment has been conducted for the bunkering operations that have led to two oil spills. This is also despite the fact that the bay is a marine biodiversity hotspot, and its seabird breeding islands fall within the recently-declared Addo Marine Protected Area.

A number of environmental stakeholders, including BirdLife South Africa, have repeatedly raised concerns about this practice. But their objections have been ignored.

Ship-to-ship bunkering in Algoa Bay should be halted pending a thorough cost-benefit assessment of the practice. We don’t know the benefits to the local economy, but the costs of oil spills are clear: they negatively affect local fisheries and the burgeoning marine tourism sector, as well as several endangered species.

Alistair McInnes, Manager of BirdLife Seabird Conservation Programme; Christina Hagen of BirdLife South Africa; and Christian Triay of SANCCOB also contributed to this article.

Original article: https://theconversation.com/ships-risky ... enguins%20

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https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/de ... n-36225311

Department making moves to save dwindling African penguins population
NEWS / 29 OCTOBER 2019, 3:34PM / STAFF WRITER


Cape Town - The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (Deff) says efforts to stop the decline in the population of the African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in South Africa have not been successful.
Deff noted with great concern the downward trend in the population of African penguins, following the department’s research into the species.


The department recently released for public comment the Draft Biodiversity Management Plan for the African penguin that was published in the Gazette No 42775 (Notice No 1328) by Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy this month.

“The draft Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) seeks to update and continue the work initiated in the initial plan published in 2013 on account of the rapid decline of the species.

“The second African penguin BMP will continue to co-ordinate and implement the various conservation initiatives of South African agencies aimed at the recovery of the species.

"It will also facilitate South Africa’s contribution to international efforts to improve the conservation status of African penguins, such as the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement, while other agencies, including NGOs and academic institutions, are expected to contribute substantially to efforts to improve the conservation status of the species through research, rehabilitation and other activities,” said the department.

The updated BMP proposes new actions to conserve the species and halt the decline of the African penguin in South Africa within its five-year timeframe.

The African penguin - Africa’s only surviving penguin - is endemic to Namibia and South Africa. It was formerly the most abundant seabird of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem, but following large declines of the species in the 20th century and the collapse of the South African population in recent years, the African penguin was classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation for Nature in 2010.

The species has declined by more than 60% in the past 30 years and by over 50% in its three most recent generations.

The South African population of African penguins is found in three areas along the Western Cape coast.

“One reason for the decrease is a scarcity of prey. The draft plan proposes to take steps to save the species."

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https://www.gov.za/speeches/environment ... -2019-0000


Environment, Forestry and Fisheries on decrease in African penguins
28 Oct 2019
Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries concerned about the decrease in African penguins
The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries has noted with great concern, downward trends in the population of the African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) in South Africa. This follows the department’s research findings into the species.

Recently the department released for public comment the Draft Biodiversity Management Plan for the African Penguin that was published in Government Gazette No. 42775 (Notice No. 1328) by the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Ms Barbara Creecy, on 18 October 2019.

The Draft Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) aims to update and continue the work initiated in the initial Plan published in 2013 on account of the rapid decrease of the species.

The second African Penguin BMP will continue to coordinate and implement the various conservation initiatives of South African agencies aimed at the recovery of the species. It will also facilitate South Africa’s contribution to international efforts to improve the conservation status of African Penguins, such as, the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), while other agencies, including NGOs and academic institutions, are expected to contribute substantially to efforts to improve the conservation status of the species through research, rehabilitation and other activities.

The updated BMP proposes new actions to conserve the species and halt the decline of the African Penguin in South Africa within its 5-year timeframe.

Amongst its proposals is to increase the population of African Penguins to a level where the birds are down listed by the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN), and to ensure the survival of the African Penguin in a healthy environment in light of the tourism revenue it generates and the number of jobs linked to the species.

The African Penguin (Spheniscus demersus), Africa’s only extant penguin, is endemic to Namibia and South Africa. It was formerly the most abundant seabird of the Benguela upwelling ecosystem but, following large declines of the species in the 20th Century and a collapse of the South African population in recent years, the African Penguin is now classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN) in 2010. The species has declined by over 60% in the last 30 years and by over 50% in its three most recent generations. The South African population of African Penguins is found in three areas along the Western Cape coast.

Despite the implementation of the action plan linked to the 2013 BMP, the aim to halt the decline in the species have not been successful. It is, therefore, necessary that the plan be revised and extended to operate over from mid-2019 to 2024.

One of the reasons for the decrease of African Penguins is a scarcity of prey. The Draft Plan proposes the following steps to increase the population: limited fishing of its main prey around prioritised penguin colonies, and seasonally at feeding grounds; as well as minimising the risk of oil spills through the zoning of shipping and bunkering.

Given the present small size of the population, colony-specific interventions, such as the management of predation on African penguins, are also likely to play a major role.

Members of the public are invited to submit written representations on, or objections to, this draft Plan within 30 (thirty) days after the publication of the notice in the Gazette. Written representations or objections received after this time may not be considered.

All representations and comments must be submitted in writing, using the following methods:

By post to:
The Deputy Director-General
Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries
Branch: Oceans and Coasts
Private Bag X4390
Cape Town
8000

By hand at:
The Deputy Director-General
Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries
Branch: Oceans and Coasts
1 East Pier Building, East Pier Road, V&A Waterfront
Cape Town

By email: marinespecies@environment.gov.za

Any enquiries relating to the Draft Biodiversity Management Plan for the African Penguin can be directed to Millicent Makoala on (021) 819 2637.

For media enquiries contact:
Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
E-mail: znqayi@environment.gov.za



Download:

https://www.environment.gov.za/sites/de ... gn1328.pdf

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5.3 Population Trends
The overall (Namibian and South African) population numbers in the 1920s were probably of the order of millions, with
reports of around one million pairs on Dassen Island alone (Crawford et al. 2007). By 1956/57 numbers decreased to
about 141,000 pairs (Kemper et al. 2007a). It further declined to about 69,000 pairs in 1979/80, c. 63,000 pairs in
2001, c. 57,000 pairs in 2004/05, c. 36,000 pairs in 2006/07 (Kemper et al. 2007a) and c. 25,000 pairs in 2015 (BirdLife
International 2017). The decline in the numbers breeding in South Africa this century is shown in Figure 4.

penguin population.jpg (45.63 KiB) Viewed 1910 times

The decrease of c. 35,000 pairs in African Penguins breeding in South Africa between 2001 and 2009 was investigated
in detail to ascertain the probable causes of mortality (Crawford et al. 2011, Crawford et al. 2017a). The loss of 24,000
pairs (48,000 breeding birds) west of Cape Agulhas was mainly attributable to a decreased abundance of sardine
Sardinops sagax, which led to increased annual mortalities of adult penguins north of Cape Town after 2004 from c.
15% when sardine was plentiful to as much as 50% when it was scarce (Crawford et al. 2011, 2014, Sherley et al.
2014, Robinson et al. 2015). Therefore, except for mortalities due to other known causes, all losses of birds breeding
west of Cape Agulhas were considered to have resulted from food scarcity

6. THREATS
6.1 Food scarcity
Many of the recent population declines of African Penguins have resulted from food shortages caused by shifts in the
distributions of prey species and competition with commercial purse-seine fisheries for food (e.g. Crawford et al. 2011,
2018). There was an eastward shift in the distribution of sardine and anchovy, with the mature biomass of these species
near the breeding islands north of Cape Town decreasing in the early 2000s (Coetzee et al. 2008). The abundance of
these prey species is known to influence breeding success (Crawford et al. 2006a, Sherley et al. 2013), adult survival
(Sherley et al. 2013, Robinson et al. 2015) and juvenile survival (Weller et al. 2016) of African Penguins, all of which
may often be too low off South Africa’s west coast to maintain population equilibrium (Weller et al. 2014, 2016). In
Namibia, where sardine and anchovy are virtually absent from the foraging ranges of breeding penguins, breeding
birds feed predominantly on the energy-poor bearded goby Sufflogobius bibarbatus (Ludynia et al. 2010).
The observed decrease in foraging effort at St Croix Island (Pichegru et al. 2010) and increase in chick survival and
chick condition at Robben Island (Sherley et al. 2015, 2018), which followed the establishment of 20 km no-take zones
around these colonies, demonstrates that it is possible to implement interventions that reduce the threats associated
with resource competition.
In order to ensure sufficient provisioning of food, it will be necessary to preclude fishing of the penguins’ main prey
items around all their important breeding colonies and during the non-breeding season at feeding grounds that are
used for fattening before and after a moult.

6.2 Exploitation and human disturbance
Penguins have in the past been exploited through harvesting of their eggs for food and by the removal of guano for
use as fertiliser. Egg-collecting, now no longer legal, was probably the primary driver of the decrease of the species in
the early 20th century (Frost et al. 1976b, Shannon and Crawford 1999). Guano collection was historically a major
cause of disturbance at many colonies as the removal of guano deprived penguins of nest-burrowing sites. This led to
birds nesting on open ground where they are more vulnerable to heat stress (often resulting in the abandonment of
nests), flooding of nests by rain and predation (Frost et al. 1976b, Shannon and Crawford 1999, Pichegru 2013, Kemper
2015).
African Penguins are regularly injured or killed by entanglement in discarded fishing lines (Crawford et al. 2017). Efforts
to reduce marine litter are clearly called for. African Penguins are occasionally caught in fishing nets and such mortality
is likely to increase if gill-nets are set near colonies (Ellis et al. 1998).
Humans and penguins often come into direct contact at some colonies. Tourists visiting Stony Point and Simon’s Town
colonies frequently interact with African Penguins, and some fail to observe rules, often leaning over or even crossing
barriers to photograph penguins or attempting to touch them. Researchers and management staff at most colonies
also interact with African Penguins to gather necessary data and to implement conservation actions.
The impact of the potential disturbance caused by these penguin-human interactions is not yet fully understood. It is
known that impacts of human disturbance vary widely across species. For example, Humboldt Spheniscus humboldtii
and Yellow-eyed Megadyptes antipodes penguins appear to be particularly sensitive to disturbance (Ellenberg et al.
2006, 2007), while other species, e.g. Gentoo Pygoscelis papua (Holmes et al. 2006), Adélie P. adeliae (Carlini et al.
2007) and Magellanic Penguins S. magellanicus (Villanueva et al. 2012), show no detrimental effects caused by human
presence.
Research that has been carried out on African Penguins suggests that they can and do habituate to regular human
approaches to nests (Pichegru et al. 2016) and beach groups (van Heezik and Seddon 1990) and regular nest visits
(Barham and Sherley 2013). Chicks of birds that are disturbed at erratic intervals appear to show reduced body
condition (Barham and Sherley 2013).

6.3 Catastrophic events
Past mortality from oil spills has been substantial (Wolfaardt et al. 2009b) and may increase if the proposed
development of harbours close to colonies proceeds. Most of the population is confined to areas that are near existing
or planned major shipping routes or ports. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of birds oiled since 1990:
30,000 individuals were oiled in two individual oil spills (in 1994 and 2000). Long-term survival and breeding of these
birds have been impaired despite successful rehabilitation programmes (Underhill et al. 1999, Crawford et al. 2000,
Wolfaardt et al. 2008a, 2009b). For example, breeding success on Robben island fell to 0.23 chicks per pair following
the spill in 2000, compared with an average of 0.62 ± 0.19 over the other 15 years from 1989 to 2004 (Crawford et al.
2006a). Rehabilitation of oiled birds does not necessarily ensure good subsequent reproduction by such birds. During
2001–2005, pairs involving at least one bird rehabilitated from the oil spill in 2000 showed a reduced breeding success
of 0.66 chicks per pair per year compared to 1.02 chicks per pair per year in unaffected pairs. This was largely
attributable to lower fledging success (43%), mostly owing to higher mortality in older chicks, compared to unaffected
pairs (61%) and those involving at least one bird affected by a previous oil spill (71%) (Barham et al. 2007). This may
indicate physiological or behavioural problems that reduce the parents' ability to meet the food requirements of older
chicks, perhaps on account of the toxicity of the heavy oil in the 2000 spill or prolonged captivity and time between
oiling and washing of birds in that spill (Barham et al. 2007).

6.4 Predation
At-sea predation includes that by Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus, which impose significant mortality at some
colonies (Makhado 2009, Makhado et al. 2013, Weller et al. 2016), and sharks (Randall et al. 1988).
Kelp Gulls Larus dominicanus scavenge deserted and unguarded clutches and small chicks especially at surface nests
(Cooper 1974). Culling of Kelp Gulls at Bird Island in Algoa Bay led to improved penguin breeding success (Pichegru
2013).
Feral cats prey on eggs and chicks at some colonies (Weller et al. 2014, 2016). At mainland colonies, predation by
domestic animals (including feral dogs) remains a problem. Predation by natural predators including mongooses,
Leopards Panthera pardus and Caracals Caracal caracal also may severely affect mainland colonies (e.g. Underhill et
al. 2006, Vanstreels et al. unpublished data, CCT, SANParks and CN, unpublished data). Occasional predation of eggs
and small chicks by mole snakes Pseudaspis cana at Robben Island (Dyer 1996) is not considered a major threat at
present.

6.5 Interspecies Competition and Displacement (for food and habitat)
Cape Fur Seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus and Cape Gannets Morus capensis compete with African Penguins for
food and habitat at some breeding localities, e.g. Lambert’s Bay and Bird Island in Algoa Bay (Crawford et al. 1989,
David et al. 2003, Kirkman 2009).

6.6 Climate change
It is likely that environmental change has resulted in a mismatch in the distributions of breeding colonies and prey
resources of African Penguins, leading to food scarcity and large decreases in penguin numbers off South Africa’s
west coast (Crawford et al. 2015). It is thought that changes in sea surface temperatures, atmospheric surface pressure
and winds have affected spawning conditions for sardine and anchovy stocks and resulted in a shift in the distribution
of these species towards the east of the Agulhas Bank (Roy et al. 2007; Coetzee et al. 2008). This may have been
exacerbated by intensive fishing of sardine in the west (Coetzee et al. 2008).
In the longer term, climate change may decrease the extent of habitat suitable for the species at the northern extent of
its historical range (BirdLife International 2017). As is the case for Bank Cormorants Phalacrocorax neglectus (Sherley
et al. 2012b), an increase in the frequency and intensity of storms and in ambient temperatures may reduce the
breeding success of birds at low-elevation or unshaded nest sites.
Recent observations from the Simon’s Town and Robben Island colonies suggest that the increase in the frequency of
long periods of high temperatures early in the breeding season may have resulted in an increase in the rate of nest
abandonment.

6.7 Known diseases of African Penguins
There are a number of viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and parasites that are known to causes diseases in African
Penguins – these are summarised in Table 3. While many can be of a serious nature for captive birds (including those
in rehabilitation centres), most of these diseases are not known to hugely compromise the wild population except for
small chicks and otherwise compromised birds. However, the recent outbreak of Avian Influenza (H5N8) is known to
have caused a number of deaths of adult African Penguins in the wild (Khomenko et al. 2018).

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7. SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES AND UTILISATION
Simon’s Town (which includes the areas of Boulders, Seaforth, Burgher’s Walk and Windmill Beach), Stony Point and
Robben Island, provide opportunities for the public to observe the species in its natural habitat and have become
popular tourist destinations (e.g. Lewis et al. 2012). The economic benefits of these colonies include income generated
through entrance fees, provision of jobs and associated tourism benefits to the surrounding areas (Lewis et al. 2012).
For example, the colony at Boulders is one of the world’s most-visited penguin colonies with 885 jobs associated with
it (van Zyl and Kinghorn 2018). In 2018, the likely income generation directly associated with this colony over the next
30 years was estimated at approximately ZAR 6.87 billion (van Zyl and Kinghorn 2018). Given that people are able to
see African Penguins at these sites and the present poor conservation status of the species, any expansion of tourism
to other island colonies would need to be carefully considered before implementation. However, it is hoped that a
recovery of South Africa’s penguins would enable growth of this industry and in line with the National Development
Goals.
The scarcity of food for African Penguins makes it likely that the attainment of several of the APBMP’s objectives will
necessitate the effective management of local competition with the purse-seine fishing industry for sardine and
anchovy, through exclusion of fishing in areas that surround South Africa’s important penguin colonies and any
proposed new breeding locality for the species (See Section 5.9). Although such closures would not affect allowable
catches, it has been argued that they would have a cost to the purse-seine fishery (Berg et al. 2016). However, in
addition to the high socio-economic value of penguins and its potential for growth, it should be borne in mind that other
predators of epipelagic forage resources (e.g. gannets, cormorants, seals, cetaceans, predatory fish) also support
marine ecotourism or alternative fisheries and failure to apply an ecosystem approach to fisheries may result in severe
losses in ecosystem services (e.g. Roux et al. 2013, section 5.10 above).

[Lisbeth]

FEEL GOOD | The locals saving Africa's cute, tuxedoed penguins

2020-01-02 05:00 - Selene Brophy

Seeing cute, tuxedoed penguins waddle along our coastline is something easily taken for granted.

Seeing these charismatic creatures waddle out of boxes after being rehabilitated at a penguin sanctuary gives only an inkling of how severely endangered they are. When the first African Penguin census was conducted in 1956, a total of 300 000 adult African Penguins were recorded. There are now less than 42 000 adult African penguins remaining in the wild.


On Friday 27, December 2019, the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) situated in Gansbaai, returned 16 adult African penguins to the wild. (Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

Fortunately, some three hours outside of Cape Town there is a Gansbaai community dedicated to conservation of SA’s marine heritage, from Great whites to the very survival of the African Penguin.

“We have to protect the only species that is found in Africa,” says Xolani Lawo.

Xolani is said to possess the special skill of being able to “talk the flippers off the most difficult of penguins” – earning him his “Penguin Whisperer” nickname.

As a Senior Bird Rehabilitator at the African Penguin and Seasbird Sanctuary (APSS) in Gansbaai he originally hails from East London, and his daily duties see him put into action this gentle way with these birds - along with a "super power to receive very few bites". Penguins have very hard beaks, detracted largely by their cuteness, you see.

Xolani has been dealing with penguins for the past 13 years - and it was back in 2006 in the Eastern Cape that his special talent first came to light. During an oil spill, while initially employed as a Lighthouse Guide at the Seal Point Lighthouse in Cape St Francis, the site of the Penguins Eastern Cape rehabilitation centre – Xolani was asked to help with cleaning duties.

“Volunteers were struggling to deal with a particularly strong penguin yet the moment Xolani took control of the penguin, the bird relaxed,” explains Trudi Malan, the Dyer Island Conservation Trust (www.DICT.org) Manager and the South African Coordinator for the African penguin artificial nest project.

WATCH | A King Penguin has waddled onto the beaches of Cape Point - all the way from Antarctica

Trudi herself has been involved in penguin conservation for the past 20 years.

As a result of over fishing, by-catch and oil pollution, the population for many of these African endemic species of seabird is at an all-time low, and their slow rate of breeding means that their numbers are struggling to compensate. There are an estimated 13 500 breeding pairs left.

The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary (APSS) was founded to address these issues directly.

Xolani is quite frank about his passion to help prevent the extinction of this iconic species, “I'm trying to make a difference so that my kids can be able to see African penguins in the wild.”


Getting the job done | Xolani Lawo, Trudi Malan, Mervin Visagie. (Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

For Xolani, educating the many people he meets as part of his job makes him really love what he does.

“I also love the way penguins protect each other. It is moving to watch their behaviour and I think we can learn a lot from them.”

Xolani is part of a small team involved with penguin care at APSS. His colleagues include Vet Nurse Theanette Staal, Senior Bird Supervisor Mervin Visagie, junior bird rehabilitator Xolisa Sinkwane, as well as Trudi - who lives in St Francis but spends one week a month at the Gansbaai Sanctuary.


Theanette Staal and Wilfred Chivell releasing penguins on Dyer Island.(Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

Like Xolani, Mervin has been working with penguins for more than a decade – and found his passion for conservation purely by being roped in when extra hands were needed during another penguin crises. And he too has never looked back.

“When the Dyer Island Conservation Trust decided to build the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary in Gansbaai, they were both asked to join the staff,” says Trudi.

Dyer Island is widely accepted as one of the most important coastal island systems in South Africa and is internationally recognized as an IBA (Important Bird Area) - it now contains one of the last strongholds of the endangered African penguin.

And all thanks to Wilfred Chivell, who formed the trust, along with his force of conservation-minded, responsible tourism companies and partners.


Xolani Lawo and Wilfred Chivell on Dyer island – all penguins are fitted with a transponder and here they are using a reader. (Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

His ethos has always been about restoring the balance of this incredible area, while educating passionate individuals on how their choice can make a difference – and the string of accolades awarded for their efforts reinforces they’re on the right track.

In the face of the penguin colony having declined by 90% in 30 years - and other colonies – Wilfred also initiated two penguin conferences and pushed for the penguin to be listed as endangered.

Dyer Island is a protected habitat for the African Penguin, thanks to the Trust and the aim to address the impact due to habitat changes forced on these flightless birds. It has grown over the last ten years with more than 2 000 penguin homes on the island, designed by Wilfred.

The opening of the APSS state of that art rehabilitation facility in 2015 has literally been a dream realised for him. And for Wilfred and his team, conservation is about more than rehabilitation – as every penguin counts.

Theanette has a BA in Political Science but realised her true calling was with animals. After obtaining a certificate in field guiding she went on to gain a University diploma in Veterinary Nursing and is a registered veterinary nurse with the SA Vet Council.

Her last position was at the Donkey Sanctuary in McGregor as donkey care manager where she also co-presented "animal welfare assessment" workshops to animal welfare, law enforcement and donkey rescue organisations.

“I grew up with a love and respect for nature and enjoyed some overland guiding for a while. I always loved animals and had a special bond with them, but especially with penguins and donkeys," says Theanette.

Since working with penguins for the first time in 2007 at Penguins Eastern Cape, it's been a dream to have the opportunity to work with them in a permanent capacity. My main vision has always been to "Make a difference" through whatever I do, wherever I am.”


The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary has no entrance fee making it easily accessible to the community – the coffee and curio shop is reliant on their support and forms part of our funding model. Open 9am to 4pm – feeding time at 3pm. (Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

Wilfred has structured a business model that not only creates employment but also benefits the environment as it is aimed at protecting SA’s marine heritage. Together with Marine Dynamics and Dyer Island Cruises, the Trust conducts valuable research, conservation and education – most notably for South Africa’s Great White Shark population, earning recognition for repositioning shark cage diving as a responsible tourism endeavour.

Every day funds are raised from clients visiting the companies and this supports the work of the Trust, which has raised about R1-million towards research and conservation. Add to this, he has supported three marine biologists in completing their master’s degrees and continues to assist PhD studies.

Together with CapeNature, the management authority for the island, APSS keeps a close watch on the chicks on Dyer Island from October through to December.

“During this time any at risk or compromised chicks are removed and hand raised at the APSS. This is one of the active conservation measures to try to stabilise the plummeting population numbers of the African penguin. Once these chicks have reached fledgling stage, we return them to Dyer Island," says Trudi.


The African Penguin and Seabird Sanctuary coffee and curio shop is reliant on the community's support and forms part of their funding model. Open 9am to 4pm. Feeding time at 3pm. (Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

But the hurdles remain many.

The decline in the population numbers of African penguins can be directly linked to human actions.

“Humans flattened their homes by scraping the guano from the islands to be used as fertilizer, we removed over 30 million penguin eggs during the unsustainable harvesting of their eggs for human consumption, we cause the oils spills.

At the moment the sardine biomass (their main food source) is at the lowest ever measured, this is due to a variety of circumstances, she explains.

“Research informs us that when the sardine biomass is below 2 million tonnes less than 46% of the chicks will fledge. The fledgling penguins will, like any youngster, take between 4 to six years to explore their options before they settle with a partner and start breeding.”


(Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

“Adult birds are normally released as soon as they meet the release criteria. We have a 93% release rate for chicks and an 88% release rate for adults. Thus this rescue, release and rehabilitation of adult African penguins are conservation gold because they are already part of the breeding population.

The birds were treated at the APSS for a variety of reasons including wounds, diseases and dehydration & starvation. While the cost over 30 days is estimated at just under R13k (about R1k per penguin), with over 3.8k individual sardines and over 461kg of fish used, the final release back into the wild is priceless.


The Dyer Island Conservation Trust, through the African Penguin & Seabird Sanctuary is committed to making a difference. (Photo: Dyer Island Conservation Trust)

“To stabilise and grow the African penguin population, we need to protect the adult birds. They need to go forth and multiply. Adult penguins have a higher survival rate than newly fledge chicks. “

Trudi says urgent policy and spatial management plans that can cater for both the environment and fisheries are also required.

“It is not a contest between fishery scientists and penguin biologists, it is one system. African penguins are an indicator species, they are also ocean fertilisers, less penguins and other seabirds means less fertile areas around colonies where fingerling fish can thrive.

“Changing climate, changing sea-temperatures, low sardine biomass = perfect storm. Most sardines are caught to turn into fish meal to feed fish, weird but true. How do we fix it, we work together and we do not lose hope.”

Want to be part of this rehabilitation or to contribute to the African Penguins' survival? Click here to find out more.

[Klipspringer]

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101 ... 1.full.pdf

Discussion
323 African penguin numbers have declined steadily over three generations, resulting in a
324 loss of nearly 60% since of 1989, and reached an historic low of ~20,850 pairs in 2019.
325 Our results show that its classification as Endangered as per the IUCN Red List is
326 warranted going forward. This is clear cause for concern for this species. However,
327 African penguins have not declined at the same rate across their range, which is
328 disjunct between Namibia and the Western and Eastern Cape provinces of South
329 Africa. This is for various reasons, including differences in the nature and severity of
330 threats and local population dynamics. It follows, then, that there are different
331 conservation management priorities for each subpopulation.
332
333 The Namibian population has declined slightly over the last three generations, but the
334 rate of decline is insufficient to warrant any Red List classification under the A criterion
335 other than Least Concern. However, the Namibian penguin population had already
336 declined by ~70% prior to the start of our dataset in 1986, coincident with the collapse
337 of the sardine stocks there in the 1970s [8]. This broad scale assessment also masks
338 a worrying decline to 3,600 pairs in 2007 before the subsequent recovery. The low
339 numbers of penguins in Namibia is likely maintained by a scarcity of small pelagic fish
340 [32,33] and the birds’ reliance on lower energy prey [34]. Monitoring of breeding
341 colonies in Namibia is an ongoing priority, with an annual census of breeding pairs the
342 minimum requirement to track trends in this population. A recent outbreak of avian
343 influenza in some colonies in Namibia have shown the vulnerability of this population
344 to stochastic events, the effects of which are exacerbated at low population levels [35].
345 A lack of reliable recent population data curbs the ability of conservation managers to
346 respond to emergent threats and to do assessments.
347
348 The South African population has declined at a much faster rate than the one in
349 Namibia, resulting in a national classification of Endangered and driving the global
350 conservation status. Despite a small population recovery in the late 1990s and first
351 half of the 2000s, driven mostly by increases in the West Coast region, there has
352 subsequently been a crash the mid-2000s onwards to an historical low of ~13,500
353 pairs in 2019. The short-lived population recovery and subsequent crash were
354 associated with a concomitant boom and then decline in sardine and anchovy biomass
355 [36]. The decline also coincided with an eastward displacement in spawning adults of
356 both these fish [37,38] driven by a combination of environmental change and fishing
357 pressure [38,39], which in turn appears to have worsened the availability of prey for
358 seabirds breeding to the north of Cape Town [40]. The South-West Coast region has
359 remained relatively stable at low levels over the last three generations, while the
360 Eastern Cape region has experienced periods of relative stability followed by declines
361 in the early 2000s and the late 2010s. Because the Eastern Cape population has
362 declined at a slower rate than elsewhere in South Africa, the area has become
363 increasingly important in terms of its relative contribution to the national population.
364
365 A lack of available food, predominantly small pelagic fish, is believed to be the main
366 driver for declines in South Africa over the last three generations [11,36,40,41], with
367 sporadic oiling events, habitat destruction, disturbance, and predation also
368 contributing to declines [42–45]. Thus, a key intervention is the identification and
369 protection of key foraging areas. This has been initiated through a 10-year experiment
370 to investigate the effects of fishing closures around penguin breeding colonies, which
371 has shown some benefits to breeding penguins through a decrease in foraging effort
372 and an increase in chick growth and condition [46–48], although this has been
373 contested [49–51]. The initial identification of areas used by penguins during other
374 parts of their life cycle such as pre- and post-moult and during the first few years after
375 fledging has begun [11,52] but further work is required to determine the most
376 appropriate mechanism to protect penguins during these vulnerable periods [11].
377 Additional spatial management of sardine and anchovy fishing effort, currently
378 concentrated on the West Coast, will assist with addressing the mismatch between
379 fish distribution and fishing effort [38,53]. The hand-rearing and release of chicks [54],
380 and the creation of new breeding colonies have also been suggested as additional
381 ways to mitigate the mismatch between penguin breeding colonies and fish distribution
382 [55] and a pilot site is currently being attempted on the southern coast of South Africa.
383
384 In 2013, the South African government put in place a Biodiversity Management Plan
385 for the African penguin [55]. This plan aimed to halt the decline of the species and
386 thereafter achieve a population growth rate that would result in the down listing of the
387 species’ conservation status. While the plan did not achieve its aim, it provides a more
388 coordinated approach to penguin conservation and many key interventions were
389 initiated through the plan. A revised plan is being prepared with fewer, more threatIt is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
390 focused actions, and will be implemented from 2020. Our results highlight a rapid,
391 unsustainable decline of almost 10% per year at colonies in the geographic core of
392 the species breeding range (the colonies to the north of Cape Town) and denote a
393 shift to a situation in which colonies at the geographic edge of the species range in the
394 Eastern Cape currently form the stronghold of the African penguin population. Algoa
395 Bay (the location of the Eastern Cape penguin colonies) has been identified as a
396 marine transport hub and potentially as an Aquaculture Development Zone, increasing
397 the risks of oil spills and human disturbance and impact on the ecosystem of the bay.
398 Accordingly, the Eastern Cape colonies should be viewed as a priority for conservation
399 interventions, as should actions that could contribute to retaining viable breeding
400 populations at the formally large colonies in the West Coast region.

[Lisbeth]

The pdf does not show

Page Not Found
The requested page "content/10.1101 ... 1.full.pdf" could not be found.

[Klipspringer]

Lisbeth, my side the link works


Do these tourists really threaten the survival of the penguins ?

http://www.capetalk.co.za/articles/3722 ... ch-penguin

[Lisbeth]

This one is different from the one above Obviously also the content