28 Feb, 2011 11:18 AM
While today's technology hasn't been around for all the group's 25 years, the penguin population has been monitored the entire time.
"We can track where they've been, who they've been with, if they have any eggs or chicks and we know how old they are," said Tiana Preston, who recently completed a PhD on St Kilda's little penguin colony.
"We also remove any fishing line or rubbish they may have been caught up in. We normally find about 12 penguins a year who have fishing line wrapped around them. That doesn't sound like a lot but it really isn't good for them."
The group says about 1000 little penguins swim to the St Kilda breakwater each night. Ms Preston said the animals usually spent their days around the Port of Hastings.
The 2011 Melbourne Penguin Symposium will be held on Sunday, March 6 from 11am at the South Melbourne Community Centre and is a chance to learn more about the little penguins around St Kilda.
Presenters from Earthcare St Kilda, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Monash University and Deakin University will detail their latest findings from Victoria and South Australia.
Local wildlife carer Mandy Hall will explain what's involved in rehabilitating injured penguins, and cartoonist Alex Hallatt who draws the Arctic Circle cartoon series, will share her experiences of drawing penguins for a worldwide audience.
For more information, or to RSVP for the symposium, contact Earthcare at earthcarestkilda@gmail.com
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