Climate Change and Overfishing Lead to Penguin Mass Starvation

More than 60,000 African penguins off the coast of South Africa starved to death due to a collapse in sardine populations, according to a study published in the Ostrich: Journal of African Ornithology.

This stark decline, affecting over 95% of the penguins in key breeding colonies on Dassen Island and Robben Island between 2004 and 2012, is attributed to climate change and overfishing. Dr. Richard Sherley from the University of Exeter highlighted that the sardine species, Sardinops sagax, has seen its biomass drop to only 25% of its maximum abundance due to rising water temperatures and salinity, alongside unsustainable fishing practices.

The African penguin population has plummeted nearly 80% in the last 30 years. In 2024, the species was designated as critically endangered, with fewer than 10,000 breeding pairs remaining globally. Conservation measures are being implemented, including the establishment of commercial fishing bans around major penguin breeding colonies to enhance food availability during crucial life stages.

Dr. Azwianewi Makhado from South Africa's Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment noted that these actions aim to improve access to prey for the penguins, which are a popular attraction for tourists, despite the pressures from tourism causing stress to the birds.