A sign of hope for the African Penguins of Algoa Bay.
By Jake Keeton

1. News

The remaining African Penguin Population of Algoa Bay are trapped in a struggle for survival in an environment plagued with historical interference, developments of industry, pollution and overfishing. 

Over the years, Penguins have overcome the challenges thrown at them by the natural world. The life of an African Penguin in ideal circumstances is not an easy one. On land they face challenges such as floods and extreme temperatures. At sea they are challenged with tracking down pelagic baitfish in a vast expanse of water with volatile sea conditions. Predation is something they face both on land and at sea.

It is amazing to witness what Penguins are capable of. Unfortunately for them, evolution could never have prepared them for the challenges that have been thrown at them by mankind. Guano collecting, egg collecting, overfishing, oil spills, fuel spills and noise pollution are just the main issues that have led to the swift decrease in the population of the African Penguin. 

There are people who have dedicated many years of their lives to trying to save the African Penguin. Their work and stories deserve to be brought to light in a separate dedicated post. For now I would just like to share some observations we have made.

In 2017 there were over 20 000 African Penguins on St Croix Island. Ever since then we have had a front row seat in watching their numbers decrease year after year. Today we are left with approximately 3000 individuals on St Croix.

The speed with which the population has declined leaves one in shock. This really hit home for us during the first half of 2023 when during most of our cruises to St Croix Island we would hope to find just 2 or 3 Penguins on the edge of the Island to show our guests.

Today we feel overjoyed with the fact that over the past three months we have started to see more and more Penguins visible on the island, as well as out in the bay feeding. The bellow pictures were taken by Lloyd and show big rafts of Penguins feeding in an area close to St Croix island. This area has always been known as a hotspot for baitfish and for Penguins to feed. It just so happens that this very same area is where, up until Sept 2023 many ships would anchor to receive fuel from bunker supply ships (bunkering is the transfer of fuel from ship to ship). 

We have not seen big rafts of Penguins feeding in this area since 2018. Getting hard proof or evidence in black and white is always a challenge. But from what we have observed during our marine Eco Cruises in Algoa Bay. Both the numbers of Penguins on St Croix Island and the frequency in which we see them feeding in the area close to St croix island (Anchorage 2) have started to increase since the number of ships anchored in Algoa Bay decreased due to the stoppage of ship-to-ship bunkering. 

Despite numerous spills which directly affected countless penguins, authorities did not put a stop to ship-to-ship bunkering due to the impact it was having on the African Penguin, but rather for monetary reasons.

We hope that the fact that the Penguins numbers are increasing now that the bunkering has stopped will be evidence enough to prevent the powers at be from ever allowing ship to ship bunkering to take place close to any Penguin Colony or in the known feeding grounds of said colonies. 

We look forward to witnessing the Penguins doing what they do best during our upcoming cruises. And hope to see their numbers continue to increase whilst Algoa Bay is a cleaner, quieter and more natural environment than it was a few months ago.