Research Articles (Biodiversity and Conservation Biology)

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Browsing by Subject "African penguin"

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    Commercial fishery no-take zones for African penguins minimize fisheries losses at the expense of conservation gains
    (Oxford University Press , 2024) McInnes, Alistair M ; Barham, Peter; Weideman, Eleanor A.
    The African penguin population has declined precipitously in recent decades, and if current rates of decline persist, this species could become extinct in the wild by 2035. Resource extraction of small pelagic fish prey by the purse-seine fishery around African penguin breeding colonies has been identified as a demographically meaningful threat to African penguins. Consequently, long-term, effective no-take zones around breeding colonies have been endorsed by an expert panel of scientists constituted by the South African government. Here, we consider the six largest South African penguin colonies that currently hold 76% of the global population. We evaluate the adequacy of different no-take zone options using a trade-off mechanism recommended by the expert panel. For all six colonies except Bird Island, Algoa Bay, which is subject to the least fishing pressure, the current no-take zone delineations are assessed as having little benefit to the African penguin and little to no cost to the purse-seine fishery. Four of the six current no-take zones include ≤50% of the African penguins’ core foraging areas. Alternative no-take zones that approximate a more balanced trade-off offer more impactful alternatives to the current fisheries restrictions. Given the urgent need to implement evidence-based conservation interventions for the endangered African penguin, we recommend the substitution of the current no-take zones with those proposed herein.
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    Nest-type associated microclimatic conditions as potential drivers of ectoparasite infestations in African penguin nests
    (Springer Nature, 2020) Waller, Lauren J.; Espinaze, Marcela P.A.; Hui, Cang
    Nest design and characteristics can influence the microclimatic conditions in the nest. Nest-dwelling ectoparasites are sensitive to temperature and moisture and as such the conditions in the nest can influence parasite infestations. The endangered African penguin (Spheniscus demersus) breeds in different nest types and as yet little is known with regard to the microclimate and parasite infestation within these nests. This study characterized the microclimatic conditions in natural open, natural covered (with vegetation) and artificial nests, and assessed the relationship between nest characteristics (type, age, distance from the coast, orientation and entrance opening) and in-nest ectoparasite infestations and the health of African penguins in Stony Point, South Africa. Penguins (50 adults and 192 chicks) and their nests (n = 308) were sampled in 2016 and 2017.
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    Rejoinder to: cochrane et al., errors and bias in marine conservation and fisheries literature: their impact on policies and perceptions [mar. policy 168 (2024) 106329]
    (Elsevier B.V, 2025) Sherley, Richard B.; Crawford, Robert J.M; McInnes, Alistair M.
    We agree with Cochrane et al. that misleading science can misinform and is to be avoided. And we agree wholeheartedly that scientists should “strive for objectivity and accuracy” in their writing. Indeed, many of the recommendations in Cochrane et al., are, in our opinion, logical and well-founded. Unfortunately, as we outlined below, Cochrane et al., seem to have failed to follow their own advice to be, “as far as possible, objective and reliable” when it comes to reporting the conclusions of the panel of six scientists that reviewed the issues around penguin-fisheries interactions and the Island Closures Experiment (ICE) in South Africa (hereafter “the ICE panel”), and in their characterisation of Sherley et al, and Sydeman et al., as presenting “misleading findings” and representing “scientific neocolonialism”.