Scientists Warn: African Penguins enter risky zones when fish decline

frican Penguins Enter Risky Zones When Fish Decline (image: Jacqui Glencross)

A new study shows African penguins increasingly overlap with fishing boats. The researchers found the overlap grows sharply when local fish stocks decline. The endangered birds rely on sardines and anchovies for daily survival.

Competition with fisheries intensifies during years of low prey numbers. This raises concerns for already shrinking penguin populations nationwide.

Scientists developed a metric called overlap intensity for accurate assessment. It measures where penguins feed and how many individuals are affected. This approach moves beyond simple spatial maps used in earlier studies.

Data came from penguins tagged on Robben and Dassen Islands. Tracking revealed clearer links between fishing pressure and penguin foraging behaviour.

In 2016, a low-fish year, twenty percent overlapped with vessels. In healthier years, only four percent showed similar risky overlap. This demonstrates the high sensitivity of penguins to prey shortages. Reduced fish biomass forces birds into heavily fished zones. Such conditions increase energy costs and reduce chick survival rates.

African penguin numbers have dropped by eighty percent in three decades. Loss of food and industrial fishing play major roles in decline. With fewer fish, penguins must travel farther for daily feeding. This reduces breeding success and threatens colony stability severely. The study warns these pressures could worsen without urgent intervention.

Researchers urge dynamic marine zones around major penguin colonies. These zones could restrict fishing when prey levels fall sharply. More meaningful no-fishing buffers may reduce dangerous competition. Better management is essential to stabilise remaining penguin populations. The findings offer policymakers a stronger tool for conservation action.