What is eating into St Croix penguin numbers?

PENGUIN PARTNERSHIP: Walmer 6th Avenue BP service station‘s Ian Hilder (left), researcher Dr Lorien Pichegru and Raggy Charters owner Lloyd Edwards have teamed up in the penguin research project.


What is eating into St Croix penguin numbers?

2009/05/17
Luyolo Mkentane
WEEKEND POST REPORTER


THE alarming decline of the African penguin population on Algoa Bay‘s St Croix Island – numbers have dropped by a startling 66% in four years – is the subject of intense research by an international researcher who will share her findings in Nelson Mandela Bay next week.

A lack of available food has been cited as one of the contributing factors in the decline in penguin numbers, with an overall decrease off both the South African and Namibian coastlines of 50% in the past four years.

Dr Lorien Pichegru, who is doing a post-doctorate degree at the University of Cape Town, is busy with the second year of her four-year research project, part of which is focused on St Croix‘s dwindling penguin population.

Her research includes Dassen Island, off the coast of Cape Town.

“We‘re a group of about 10 scientists from different universities who are studying penguins on these islands,” she said.

As part of its International Museum Day celebrations – most of which take place tomorrow – Bayworld is hosting a free talk on Wednesday at 6pm by Pichegru on her work studying the vulnerable African penguin.

She said the government had barred sardine and purse-seine fisheries from fishing around St Croix and Dassen islands for a period of two years “so that the birds can have more food”.

“They (fisheries) are depriving penguins of anchovies and sardines which are their food.”

Pichegru said the birds‘ breeding season started in March and would end in July. “They will have to be more protected, because they might become extinct in 100 years‘ time.”

She cited lack of food as one of the factors contributing to the declining penguin numbers.

“I started my research last year, when St Croix Island was still open for fishing. But this year it‘s closed for fishing, so I want to see if the birds will react differently.”

Concerning the research, Pichegru said she placed GPS recorders on the birds‘ backs to record their latitude and longitude in order to establish where they found their food “as we also want to have their diet samples”.

Pichegru – who is working with Bay environmental activist Lloyd Edwards in the research – said they had tracked about 34 penguins on nearby Bird Island.

Edwards is the owner of Raggy Charters and founder of the Baywatch Marine Conservation Project which he started in 1992.

He described the decreasing penguin population as “the biggest challenge” he had come across in his 17 years in the marine life business.

“The St Croix penguin population was 60000 in 2004. During the last count earlier this year, there were about 20000. That‘s a 66% decrease,” he said. “The percentage is even worse than the national average of 50%.”

However, St Croix Island still remained “the world‘s largest breeding colony of penguins”.

Edwards said: “We need to make sure, through Lorien‘s research, that we don‘t lose too many penguins.”

He said Walmer‘s 6th Avenue BP service station was sponsoring the project with fuel “for this penguin breeding season”.

“We want to get another boat to be used for penguin research purposes only. We‘re looking for sponsors of products to build the boat, and a vehicle to launch it.”

Raggy Charters has donated an engine and GPS equipment for the boat but a hull is now required.

Edwards said Pichegru would explain some of her research findings at the penguin evening at Bayworld on Wednesday.

“I‘ll be exhibiting 80 of my marine photographs. People will be able to buy copies of them ... for the penguin research fund.”

Source:
http://www.weekendpost.co.za/article.aspx?id=422916