Updated
A census of little penguins on South Australia's Kangaroo Island
has revealed the number of breeding adult birds has fallen by about a
quarter in the past year. Debate is raging about what's behind the
population drop, with some locals blaming the growing number of New
Zealand fur seals.
Source: The World Today
EMILY BOURKE: A census of little penguins on South
Australia's Kangaroo Island has revealed some disturbing figures: the
number of breeding adult birds has fallen by about a quarter in the past
year.
Debate is raging about what's behind the population drop, with some locals blaming the growing number of New Zealand fur seals.
Clare Hesketh reports.
CLARE HESKETH: The latest count shows that in the past 12 months, penguin numbers have plunged from just over 1,300 last year to about 960 this year.
In Penneshaw, the colony has almost halved.
Counts have been done at Kingscote since 2006 and numbers there are estimated to have dropped by more than a third in the six year period.
Danny Brock is a marine scientist with the South Australian Environment Department.
He says the figures are concerning, but not surprising.
DANNY BROCK: We have been losing mainland penguin colonies over the last 20 to 30 years across southern Australia, and now also some of the offshore islands have been experiencing decline.
CLARE HESKETH: Mr Brock says commercial fishing, coastal development and climate change have put pressure on the penguins.
It's thought predators such as cats and New Zealand fur seals are also hitting numbers.
Ikuko Tomo from the South Australian Museum has been studying dead penguins found onshore on Kangaroo Island for the past two and a half years.
She's received about 100 specimens in that time.
IKUKO TOMO: Primary cause of the death is trauma but some animals have got some infected bug parasite. But most of the animals more look like possibly predation, but some of them are killed by the traffic accident.
CLARE HESKETH: The Kingscote Penguin Centre has been vocal in blaming rising New Zealand fur seal numbers for much of the penguin decline.
At last count, there were just over 36,000 of the seals on the island.
Danny Brock says that's expected to increase by about 10 per cent a year for the next decade, partly due to the species' recovery from the end of commercial sealing in the late 1800s.
But he rejects the Penguin Centre's claims.
DANNY BROCK: They are a pressure on penguin populations, but can we say how much they're doing it and are they solely responsible for the declines, no we're not in a position to say that yet.
CLARE HESKETH: The local Liberal MP, Michael Pengilly says it would be a major blow to the industry if the attraction was no longer there.
MICHAEL PENGILLY: The numbers of penguins at Penneshaw have virtually disappeared and at Kingscote, the numbers are declining. So clearly international visitors in particular who like to look at the penguins and their activities are struggling to find them.
CLARE HESKETH: But Danny Brock is hopeful that little penguin numbers on the island will eventually bounce back.
DANNY BROCK: I mean if we implement some of the management issues we need to, then definitely. I mean Phillip Island is the classic example of penguin numbers recovering when a number of coastal issues have been dealt with. So I guess it will be watch this space.
CLARE HESKETH: Any future island-wide counts are dependent on more community funding or financial help from the State Government.
EMILY BOURKE: Clare Hesketh with that report.
source
Debate is raging about what's behind the population drop, with some locals blaming the growing number of New Zealand fur seals.
Clare Hesketh reports.
CLARE HESKETH: The latest count shows that in the past 12 months, penguin numbers have plunged from just over 1,300 last year to about 960 this year.
In Penneshaw, the colony has almost halved.
Counts have been done at Kingscote since 2006 and numbers there are estimated to have dropped by more than a third in the six year period.
Danny Brock is a marine scientist with the South Australian Environment Department.
He says the figures are concerning, but not surprising.
DANNY BROCK: We have been losing mainland penguin colonies over the last 20 to 30 years across southern Australia, and now also some of the offshore islands have been experiencing decline.
CLARE HESKETH: Mr Brock says commercial fishing, coastal development and climate change have put pressure on the penguins.
It's thought predators such as cats and New Zealand fur seals are also hitting numbers.
Ikuko Tomo from the South Australian Museum has been studying dead penguins found onshore on Kangaroo Island for the past two and a half years.
She's received about 100 specimens in that time.
IKUKO TOMO: Primary cause of the death is trauma but some animals have got some infected bug parasite. But most of the animals more look like possibly predation, but some of them are killed by the traffic accident.
CLARE HESKETH: The Kingscote Penguin Centre has been vocal in blaming rising New Zealand fur seal numbers for much of the penguin decline.
At last count, there were just over 36,000 of the seals on the island.
Danny Brock says that's expected to increase by about 10 per cent a year for the next decade, partly due to the species' recovery from the end of commercial sealing in the late 1800s.
But he rejects the Penguin Centre's claims.
DANNY BROCK: They are a pressure on penguin populations, but can we say how much they're doing it and are they solely responsible for the declines, no we're not in a position to say that yet.
CLARE HESKETH: The local Liberal MP, Michael Pengilly says it would be a major blow to the industry if the attraction was no longer there.
MICHAEL PENGILLY: The numbers of penguins at Penneshaw have virtually disappeared and at Kingscote, the numbers are declining. So clearly international visitors in particular who like to look at the penguins and their activities are struggling to find them.
CLARE HESKETH: But Danny Brock is hopeful that little penguin numbers on the island will eventually bounce back.
DANNY BROCK: I mean if we implement some of the management issues we need to, then definitely. I mean Phillip Island is the classic example of penguin numbers recovering when a number of coastal issues have been dealt with. So I guess it will be watch this space.
CLARE HESKETH: Any future island-wide counts are dependent on more community funding or financial help from the State Government.
EMILY BOURKE: Clare Hesketh with that report.
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