No Fishing Here, for the Sake of Our Penguins

An agreement was finally reached between South Africa’s conservationists and the fishing industry, aimed to halt and reverse the African penguin’s declining population by establishing no-fishing zones around six of the penguins’ major breeding colonies.

“Today’s order is a significant step forward in our fight to save the African penguin from extinction…” says Nicky Stander, head of conservation at the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds. “However, while we celebrate today’s success, we remain acutely aware that our journey is far from over. The threats facing the African penguin are complex and ongoing.”

The critically endangered African penguin could go extinct by 2035 if its population continues to fall at the current rate of 7.9% yearly. A century ago, there were 1 million breeding pairs. Today, there are fewer than 10,000. Therefore, sardine and anchovy fishing won’t be allowed for 20 kilometres around the penguin colony off Cape Town on Robben Island and Bird Island, across the bay from Gqeberha, also known as Port Elizabeth. There will be more limited closures around four other colonies. Aside from fishing, the African penguin’s population is threatened by the climate crisis, land predators, and noise pollution from ship-to-ship refuelling near Gqeberha.