The Department of Forestry Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has made headway to settle the long standing dispute pertaining to the well-being of Critically Endangered African Penguin.
BirdLife South Africa and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) said last year, if nothing is done to secure food for Penguins, they will be extinct in the next 10 years.
This week, Dr Dion George, the Minister of DFFE, said he is delighted to announce news of a historic settlement agreement reached in principle between the fishing industry and conservation organisations, being BirdLife South Africa and the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).
George said this agreement would facilitate the critical closure of certain areas, to protect South Africa’s penguin population.
George first met with the fishing industry and then conservation groups to address the decline of penguin populations, without legal representation.
The agreed island closures include:
Dassen Island: Interim closure as per current permit conditions.
Robben Island: A 20 km closure, consistent with the Island Closure Experiment. Stony Point: Closure as depicted by the black hatched line in the agreed diagram, applicable to all fishing vessels.
Dyer Island: Interim closure as reflected in current permit conditions.
St Croix Island: Closure delineated by coordinates (western boundary: 25°45’E; southern boundary: 34°01′ to 25°50’E; southern boundary east: 33°59′ to 25°59’E; eastern boundary to MPA: 25°59’E).
Bird Island: A 20 km closure radius from the lighthouse, as implemented during the Island Closure Experiment.
He also said “these measures, subject to being made an order of court, reflect the duration outlined in the previous Minister’s decision of 4 August, 2023, and represent a balanced approach to conserving penguin habitats while respecting the needs of the fishing industry.”
About 33,524 signatories have signed a pledge to save African Penguin, through rezoning the sea to secure conservation areas for the birds.
A study conducted by conservation organizations point to dwindling numbers of food for Penguins (anchovy and sardines), pressured by climate change and commercial purse-seine fishing.
The current commercial fishery no-take zones in South Africa surround six African Penguin colonies that represent 76% of the global population.
SANCCOB said these zones fail to sufficiently protect important foraging areas for the penguins, forcing them to compete with commercial purse seine fisheries for food.
Picture: Only One