Overview
- The peer-reviewed paper in Ostrich analyzed long-term counts from Dassen and Robben islands and links a collapse in adult survival to prey scarcity during the annual moult.
- Sardine biomass off western South Africa remained below 25% of peak from 2004 to 2011, with exploitation briefly reaching about 80% in 2006 as environmental shifts reduced spawning success.
- The authors estimate about 62,000 breeding adults—around 95% of birds that bred there in 2004—died over roughly eight years, likely at sea rather than on the colonies.
- With fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs remaining, the African penguin is listed Critically Endangered, and recovery prospects depend on improved prey availability.
- Measures now in place include purse-seine fishing bans around six major colonies and direct protections such as artificial nests, predator control, and rehabilitation, alongside calls to tie fishing rules to sardine biomass thresholds and maintain monitoring.