Ocean Sentry
A ban on fishing around a colony of threatened penguins in South Africa has brought swift benefits to the beleaguered birds, marine biologists reported on Wednesday.
The population of the African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) fell by 60 percent between 2001 and 2009, driven by a plunge in anchovies and sardines, with climate change and purse-seine trawling fingered as the main culprits. Of the 26,000 surviving pairs, the biggest colony is on St. Croix Island in Algoa Bay, on the eastern coast of South Africa.
Before the ban, 75 percent of the penguins had to venture beyond 20 kilometres to find food, they found. Three months after trawling was stopped, 70 percent of the birds were feeding within the 20-km zone, tucking into fish that now became available… Read Full Article
