Sardines Vanished, and 60K Penguins Starved to Death

Efforts are intensifying to save Africa's only penguin species after a new study documented the starvation deaths of more than 60,000 birds due to a sharp drop in sardine numbers. Researchers found that more than 95% of the African penguins in two key breeding colonies on the Dassen and Robben islands perished between 2004 and 2012, as shrinking food supplies left many unable to survive the crucial molting period, reports the Guardian. The study, published in Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology, connects these mass deaths to a near 80% population decline in African penguins over the last three decades.

During the molting process, penguins can't enter the sea for around three weeks and must rely on stored fat, so a reduced sardine population makes survival difficult. The study notes that "declines are mirrored elsewhere," pointing toward continent-wide issues. Sardine supplies have remained at roughly a quarter of historic highs every year except three since 2004, squeezed by continued high fishing levels and climate-driven changes in ocean conditions. Experts say sea surface temps have spiked from about 0.06 degrees Celsius per decade in the '80s, to 0.27 degrees Celsius per decade now, per Euronews.

The penguin species' status was updated to "critically endangered" last year, with fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs remaining, per the Guardian. Conservation responses have so far included bans on certain fishing methods near major colonies, the installation of artificial nests, predator management, and hand-rearing chicks and adults when necessary. Experts emphasize the need for more sustainable fisheries management to aid penguin recovery and maintain populations of other species dependent on sardines. "The situation has not improved over time," said Lorien Pichegru, a marine biologist not involved in the study.