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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 107(1)

Differences in breeding success between African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) that were and were not oiled in the MV Treasure oil-spill in 2000

Peter J. Barham A E , Les G. Underhill B , Robert J. M. Crawford B C and T. Mario Leshoro D
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A H H Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TL, UK.

B Avian Demography Unit, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa.

C Marine and Coastal Management, Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Private Bag X2, Rogge Bay 8012, South Africa.

D Robben Island Museum, Robben Island 7400, South Africa.

E Corresponding author. Email: peter.barham@bristol.ac.uk

Emu 107(1) 7-13 https://doi.org/10.1071/MU06028
Submitted: 14 June 2006  Accepted: 29 January 2007   Published: 26 February 2007

Abstract

About 19 000 African Penguins (Spheniscus demersus) were oiled when the bulk ore carrier MV Treasure sank off the west coast of South Africa in June 2000. Of these, more than 17 000 Penguins were cleaned, rehabilitated and released back to the wild. The breeding success of these birds was compared with unoiled birds and birds oiled during other oil-spills, by measuring fecundity, hatching success and fledging success from 2001 to 2005 on Robben Island. Fledging success averaged 61% in birds that were not oiled in the Treasure spill and 43% in birds oiled during the Treasure event, with a large proportion of the reduction attributable to higher mortality of older chicks. Factors that may have contributed to differential fledging success include long mean intervals between capture and cleaning (22 days) and between capture and release (48 days) for birds oiled in the Treasure spill. One implication of these results is, if a similar large spill should occur in the future, every effort should be made to treat the oiled birds as quickly as possible to reduce the risk of their suffering a similar reduction in breeding productivity. Further, the other interventions, such as relocation of unoiled birds and captive-rearing of orphaned chicks may need to receive higher priority than hitherto.


Acknowledgements

The project was funded by the Earthwatch Institute, Darwin Initiative, National Research Foundation and our research institutes. We thank the Earthwatch volunteers and the staff and students of the Avian Demography Unit, Marine and Coastal Management, Robben Island Museum and Bristol Zoo Gardens who assisted with the nest monitoring and who led the Earthwatch teams. Barbara Barham, Duncan Bolton, Bruce Dyer, Sue Kuyper, Jane Underhill and Leshia Upfold provided essential logistical support. The Robben Island Museum provided assistance in many ways. Banding information was administered by SAFRING.


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