For the second time in three years the Adelie penguin colony
found in the east of the Antarctic has failed to successfully raise a single
chick from an estimated 36,000 chicks. This is a tragic event.
The Adelie penguin is the known for being one of the most southerly breeding bird in the world and can be found along the Antarctic coast from October
to February. They are easily identifiable as their entire heads are covered in
black plumage with the adult penguins also having a thin circle of white around
each of their eyes. Currently the Adelie penguin is marked as least concern on
the IUCN red list as of a 2016 survey by BirdLife International. This assessment is actually an improvement
compared to the 2012 study where as a species they were defined as near
threatened but with the recent failed breeding season the jury is out their
current classification. Luckily as the Adelie penguin has a lifespan unto 16
years so as long as the adults survive a failed breeding season can easily be
overcome but if their frequency increase that’s when populations can fall.
So it is mainly believed that the failure of this breeding
season was down to reduced number krill which Adelie penguin’s primary food
source is making up to 98% of their food during certain times of the year. The
penguins have been seen to feed at depths of 150m under the surface. Currently the WWF is calling for a ban on
krill fishing in the area around the colony which would at least help to
relieve this particular pressure on the Adelie penguins. Ideally there would be
the creation of a new marine protected area where no or at least very limited
fishing would take place and so benefit not only the Adelie penguins but other
species in the area.
Thanks for reading!
Check out this video from the BBC
No comments:
Post a Comment