By Aletta Harrison | News24wire.com
A new study has proven that African penguins benefit when there is a greater abundance of fish available and it can be used to inform fisheries management in future.
The three-year study looked at a colony on Robben Island during a period when the area was closed to commercial fishing and monitored the health of the birds as well as the effects on the surrounding fish populations.
The researchers fitted the adult penguins with small cameras for a rare glimpse into their underwater behaviour.
The study found a direct link between the abundance of anchovy and sardine, and the penguins’ foraging behaviour and the condition of their offspring.
Dr Kate Campbell, who led the research at the University of Cape Town as part of her PhD project, said the closure of commercial fisheries created a “unique opportunity to study how African penguins directly respond to natural changes in local abundance of their prey – anchovies and sardines”. Read more…
