Polar Oceans in Peril and a Planet at Risk

The snow-covered lands and icy waters of these polar regions are, for many people, the purest examples of true wilderness left on this planet. While the Arctic has been home to indigenous peoples for millennia, Antarctica has only played host to visiting explorers and scientists. Both polar oceans are, however, home to distinctive wildlife that has adapted to the extreme environmental conditions, such as the Arctic's polar bears and the Antarctic's penguins. Polar waters provide rich feeding grounds that sustain large populations of seabirds and marine mammals, including the majority of the world's great whales.Indicators of our planet's health, the poles provide us with an early warning that we are compromising the Earth's ability to sustain life as we know it. It is already too late to avoid profound negative changes at the poles. But, we can limit further impacts by establishing boundaries that stop the commercial fishing fleets and the oil and gas industries from plundering and polluting these already-damaged ecosystems.The profound physical changes happening at the ends of the Earth are a wake-up call that we ignore at our peril. How we treat the Polar Oceans has major consequences for the planet as a whole. Our generation has a unique opportunity and responsibility to take action to bring us back from the brink of runaway climate change, and to protect some of the most fragile and essential ecosystems on Earth.There is a compelling body of scientific evidence that demonstrates that setting aside large areas of the ocean from industrial activities, such as fishing and oil and gas extraction, provides protection for valuable species and habitats, maintains important ecosystem functions and allows degraded areas to recover. This is even more important for the Polar Oceans, since the Arctic and Antarctic are warming faster than the rest of the globe and so are under increased stress.Creating marine reserves in the Polar Oceans will make them both more resilient to the impacts of climate change and will help prevent further, catastrophic climate change.Greenpeace is calling upon the United Nations and governments around the world to commit to a course of action to save the Arctic and Antarctic

Modelling foraging movements of diving predators : A theoretical study exploring the effect of heterogeneous landscapes on foraging efficiency

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Flipper-bands on penguins: what is the cost of a life-long commitment?

The individual marking of flying and flightless birds has a long history in ornithology. It is the only technique which is cheap, simple and effective, yielding results on bird migration, age-specific annual survival and recruitment. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of birds are annually ringed worldwide. Unfortunately, researchers all too often tend to neglect problems associated with rings and tags. In Antarctic penguins, flipper bands have been used extensively by a variety of nations, and banding is an integral part of the Council for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources' (CCAMLR) monitoring programme (Standard method A4). This programme suggests that mortality in penguins wearing bands can be attributed to either (a) prey species availability, (b) predation, (c) weather conditions or (d) other. In this paper, we have attempted to quantify energetic costs associated with wearing a flipper band. For that purpose, freshly caught Adelie penguins (n = 7) were introduced, in Antarctica, into a 21 m long still-water tunnel, where their behaviour and energy consumption were determined via observation and gas respirometry. Birds were either immediately marked with a flipper band and tested in the tunnel for ca 2 h, and then taken out and tested again after removal of the band, or vice-versa. Flipper bands significantly (ANOVA, p = 0.006) increased the power input of Adelie penguins during swimming by 24 % over the speed range of 1.4 to 2.2 m S-', from 17 W kg-' to 21.1 W kg-' (n = 115 and 157 measurements, respectively). The implications of banding on foraging performance and sunival of penguins are discussed. Implantable passive transponders could help overcome such problems

Population Trends of a Mixed-Species Colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins in Southern Chile after Establishing a Protected Area

Worldwide marine protected areas (MPAs) have been designated to protect marine resources, including top predators such as seabirds. There is no conclusive information on whether protected areas can improve population trends of seabirds when these are further exploited as tourist attractions, an activity that has increased in past decades. Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic Penguins (S. magellanicus) breed sympatrically on Puñihuil Islets, two small coastal islands off the west coast of Chiloé Island (41° S) in southern Chile that are subject to exploitation for tourism. Our goal was to compare the population size of the mixed colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins before and after protection from unregulated tourism and freely roaming goats in 1997. For this purpose, two censuses were conducted in 2004 and 2008, and the numbers compared with those obtained in 1997 by other authors. The proportion of occupied, unoccupied, and collapsed/flooded burrows changed between years; there were 68% and 34% fewer collapsed burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. For the total number of burrows of both species, we counted 48% and 63% more burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. We counted 13% more burrows of Humboldt Penguins in 2008 than in 1997, and for Magellanic Penguins, we estimated a 64% increase in burrows in 2008. Presumably, this was as a result of habitat improvement attributable to the exclusion of tourists and the removal of goats from the islets. Although tourist visits to the islets are prohibited, tourism activities around the colonies are prevalent and need to be taken into account to promote appropriate management

Tendance d’une colonie mixte de Manchots de Humboldt et de Manchots de Magellan dans le sud du Chili à la suite de l’établissement d’une aire protégée

Worldwide marine protected areas (MPAs) have been designated to protect marine resources, including top predators such as seabirds. There is no conclusive information on whether protected areas can improve population trends of seabirds when these are further exploited as tourist attractions, an activity that has increased in past decades. Humboldt Penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) and Magellanic Penguins (S. magellanicus) breed sympatrically on Puñihuil Islets, two small coastal islands off the west coast of Chiloé Island (41° S) in southern Chile that are subject to exploitation for tourism. Our goal was to compare the population size of the mixed colony of Humboldt and Magellanic Penguins before and after protection from unregulated tourism and freely roaming goats in 1997. For this purpose, two censuses were conducted in 2004 and 2008, and the numbers compared with those obtained in 1997 by other authors. The proportion of occupied, unoccupied, and collapsed/ flooded burrows changed between years; there were 68% and 34% fewer collapsed burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. For the total number of burrows of both species, we counted 48% and 63% more burrows in 2004 and 2008, respectively, than in 1997. We counted 13% more burrows of Humboldt Penguins in 2008 than in 1997, and for Magellanic Penguins, we estimated a 64% increase in burrows in 2008. Presumably, this was as a result of habitat improvement attributable to the exclusion of tourists and the removal of goats from the islets. Although tourist visits to the islets are prohibited, tourism activities around the colonies are prevalent and need to be taken into account to promote appropriate management.Les aires marines protégées ont été établies à l’échelle mondiale pour protéger les ressources marines, dont les prédateurs au sommet de la chaîne alimentaire comme les oiseaux marins. Rien n’indique de façon concluante que la protection d’aires permet une hausse des populations d’oiseaux marins dans les cas où ces populations représentent toujours une attraction touristique, activité dont la popularité a augmenté au cours des dernières décennies. Les Manchots de Humboldt (Spheniscus humboldti) et les Manchots de Magellan (S. magellanicus) nichent de façon sympatrique sur les îlots Puñihuil, deux petites îles au large de la côte ouest de l’île de Chiloé (41° S.) qui font l’objet de visites touristiques dans le sud du Chili. L’objectif de notre étude était de comparer la taille des deux populations de manchots avant et après l’établissement d’une réglementation touchant le tourisme et les chèvres en liberté en 1997. À cette fin, deux relevés ont été effectués en 2004 et 2008, et les résultats ont été comparés à ceux obtenus en 1997 par d’autres auteurs. La proportion de terriers occupés, non occupés ou effondrés/inondés a varié selon les années; ainsi, il y a eu 68 % et 34 % moins de terriers effondrés en 2004 et 2008, respectivement, qu’en 1997. Pour ce qui est du nombre de terriers des deux espèces, nous avons compté 48 % et 63 % plus de terriers en 2004 et 2008, respectivement, qu’en 1997. Nous avons compté 13 % plus de terriers de Manchots de Humboldt en 2008 par rapport à 1997, et avons observé une hausse de 64 % pour les terriers de Manchots de Magellan en 2008. Nous pouvons présumer que ces hausses résultent de l’amélioration de l’habitat consécutive à l’exclusion des touristes et au retrait des chèvres des îlots. Même si les visites touristiques sont maintenant interdites sur les îlots, l’activité touristique aux abords des colonies a toujours cours et doit être prise en compte si on veut mettre en place une gestion adéquate.Fil: Reyes Arriagada, Ronnie. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile;Fil: Hiriart Bertrand, Luciano. Universidad Andres Bello; Chile;Fil: Riquelme, Victoria. Universidad Austral de Chile; Chile;Fil: Simeone, Alejandro. Universidad Andres Bello; Chile;Fil: Pütz, Klemens. Antartic Research Trust; Suiza;Fil: Lüthi, Benno. Antartic Research Trust; Suiza;Fil: Raya Rey, Andrea Nélida. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Austral de Investigaciones Cientificas; Argentina

Pollution and physiological variability in gentoo penguins at two rookeries with different levels of human visitation

Fil: Barbosa, Andres. Departamento Ecología Evolutiva. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. CSIC. Madrid; EspañaFil: De Mas, Eva. Departamento Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva. Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas. CSIC. Almeria; EsapañaFil: Benzal, Jesús. Departamento Ecología Funcional y Evolutiva. Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas. CSIC. Almeria; EsapañaFil: Díaz, Julia Inés. Centro de Estudios en Parasitología y Vectores (CEPAVE). Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Motas, Miguel. Departamento Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Murcia. Murcia; EspañaFil: Pérez, Silvia. Departamento Toxicología. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Murcia. Murcia; EspañaFil: Pertierra, Luis. Departamento Ecología. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Madrid; EspañaFil: Benayas, Javier. Departamento Ecología. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Madrid; EspañaFil: Justel, Ana. Departamento Ecología. Universidad Autónoma de Madrid. Madrid; EspañaFil: Lauzurica, Pilar. Unidad de Activación Inmunológica. Centro Nacional de Microbiología. Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Majadahonda; EspañaFil: García-Peña, Francisco Javier. Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria. Algete; EspañaFil: Serrano, Tania. Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria. Algete; Españ

Oceanus.

v. 26, no. 1 (1983

Foraging behaviour and reproductive success in Magellanic penguins (Sphensicus magellanicus): a comparative study of two colonies

During the breeding season 1996/97 we compared the foraging and diving behaviour of adult Magellanic penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus), growth rates of their chicks and their breeding success at two colonies in the south of Chile. One of the colonies is located on Magdalena Island in the Strait of Magellan, where a commercial fishery existed several years ago; the other, on the shores of the yet unexploited Otway Sound. Thirty adult Magellanic penguins were equipped with time–depth recorders (TDR) to investigate their behaviour at sea. In each colony 15 adults returning from the sea were stomach flushed to analyse dietary composition. Chicks of TDR-nests and of 12 additional control nests were weighed regularly. Foraging effort was significantly higher at Magdalena than at Otway. The Magdalena-birds usually remained at sea overnight and foraged with a mean duration of 18 h, whereas the penguins of Otway Sound foraged during 1-d trips with a mean duration of only 9 h. Compared to Magdalena, penguins at Otway dived shallower (mean depth 14.9 vs 16.5 m), shorter (mean duration 57.8 vs 64.3 s) and showed more searching and feeding as opposed to travelling activity (on average 69 vs 55%) during the foraging trips. Compared to other breeding locations both colonies were characterised by high chick growth rates, high fledging body masses (>3 kg) and early fledging date (after 70 to 80 d), and a very high reproductive success of >1.75 chicks per breeding pair. Comparison of the diet (almost exclusively sprats) with former investigations suggests for both areas an unchanged food structure over the last decade. The results in both colonies indicate ample food availability in the season 1996/97. However, compared to the much smaller Otway colony, penguins on Magdalena have to cope with more competition for food. Therefore, future prey limitation, through resumed fishery operations or effects of El Niño, might affect the penguin population on the island more negatively than in Otway Sound

The potential costs of flipper-bands to penguins

1. The published literature on the effects of flipper-bands on penguin ecology is reviewed. Six published studies show the following. 2. In Adélie Penguins Pygoscelis adeliae, flipper-bands directly damaged flippers, increased swimming costs by 24%, decreased survival in the first year after banding by 28%, and may have accelerated decline of a dwindling colony by 3%. 3. Adult return rates to colonies among flipper-banded Adélie, Chinstrap P. antarctica and Gentoo P. papua Penguins decreased by 8%, 12% and 25%, respectively, between singleand double-banded penguins. Juvenile return rates among Gentoo Penguins were reduced by 10·5%. Return rates to the colony among double-banded King Penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus were 31·3% and 6·7% lower than among single-banded birds in the first and second years after banding, respectively, and single flipper-banded birds showed annual survival rates 21·1% lower than those of birds fitted with subcutaneous transponders. 4. Among Royal Penguins Eudyptes schlegeli, there were no differences between chick growth, adult over-winter survival and fledging success between flipper-banded birds and birds fitted with transponders. 5. Adélie Penguin adult annual survival rates were lower among flipper-banded birds than among unbanded birds. 6. On the basis of dive profiles for Adélie Penguins, it is estimated that increased swimming costs of 5% reduce prey contact time by 10%, and of 24% reduce prey contact time by 48%. These estimated ‘knock-on’ or cumulative costs coupled with the survival and breeding costs shown by the majority of published field studies suggest that data collected on some flipper-banded populations are biased. 7. The advantages and disadvantages of an alternative long-term marking technique, subcutaneously implanted passively interrogated transponder tags, are discussed. Research projects currently testing transponders and flipper-bands worldwide are listed