The discovery of at least 100 oil-soaked Cape gannets in Algoa Bay in the Eastern Cape has raised concern among conservationists.
At least 100 Cape gannets from Bird Island have been soaked by a thick yellow substance thought to be fish oil.
Now restricted to breeding colonies on just six islands off the coast of South Africa and Namibia, Cape gannets are classified as endangered because the species has undergone a significant population decline over the past three generations and is projected to continue to decline rapidly over the next three generations.
“What started as a minor concern has become increasingly alarming, with a higher number of birds being affected. The substance appears as a yellow stain on the feathers and has a distinct fish smell. Affected feather samples have been taken for analysis and work is underway to try to determine the exact type of pollutant.”
Birds in this condition therefore needed to be stabilised before undergoing a washing process and rehabilitation to restore feather waterproofing and overall body condition. This could take four weeks or longer. Researchers say there has also been a gradual southerly redistribution of the species over recent decades, with approximately 70% of the global population now found at Bird Island.by marine ecologist Dr Richard B Sherley and colleagues, most Cape gannets bred in Namibia during the 1950s and 1960. But by 1978 numbers were shared evenly between Namibia and South Africa, and from 1997, more than 80% of Cape gannets bred in South Africa.
Sardine stocks off Namibia were depleted through overfishing in the 1960s and 1970s and had not recovered. Other researchers reported a movement of sardine and anchovy from the west to south coasts at the end of the 1990s.
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