Calls For Antarctic Protection Area Following Mass Penguin Chick Deaths
Urgent calls for a marine protected area were being made at a global Antarctic conservation summit following disturbing reports of “catastrophic breeding event” that devastated a large colony of penguins.
The 36th Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) kicked off on October 16 in Hobart, with Australia — for the eighth-year in a row, according to The Guardian — pushing for the establishment of an East Antarctic Marine Protected Area. The European Union and 24 countries were to be meeting over 11 days, and Australia was expected to propose revised locations and practices for fisheries operating in the region to be adopted by the commission.
The proposal followed reports that all but two Adelie penguins chicks out a colony of about 18,000 breeding pairs on Petrels Island died of starvation. The Guardian reported that French scientists found thousands of starved chicks and unhatched eggs at the start of 2017.
Climate change and over fishing were attributed to the catastrophe, the second of its nature to wreak havoc on the Adelie colony in just four years. Environmental organisations, such as the WWF, as well as researchers called for urgent action to protect the species.
This footage shows wildlife and ice sheets in Antarctic waters. Credit: Australian Antarctic Division via Storyful
