Report finds Penguin Island’s penguin colony down 94 per cent in less than 20 years to just 114 birds

Penguin Island’s penguin colony has dramatically declined by more than 90 per cent in less than two decades, a new report has revealed. It found the number of little penguins has dropped to just 114 — a reduction of 94 per cent since the colony’s highest estimate in 2008. The figures were detailed in a report prepared for the City of Rockingham by UWA little penguin ecology researcher Dr Belinda Cannell, based on a study conducted on Penguin Island between September and November last year. The report found that a marine heatwave between 2010-11, and warmer sea surface temperatures in most years since then, have resulted in less abundance of the penguins’ prey and poorer breeding seasons. An advocate for the birds is now demanding the State Government step in to save the dwindling population. Conservation Council of WA’s Little Penguin Project on Penguin Island coordinator Dr Erin Clitheroe said the report showed a “distressing decline” in little penguin numbers and said a response would require “an ‘all hands on deck’ approach”. Dr Clitheroe said this would involve “intensive conservation management over several years”. “While marine heatwave events have played a role, it’s crucial to understand that many factors have contributed to the current situation,” she said. “This is not a lost cause; accepting local extinction is not an option. “Little penguins are resilient, and with fast and decisive action, we can still give this colony a fighting chance. “This situation demands an ‘all hands on deck’ approach. An urgent and comprehensive Little Penguin Conservation Plan is essential to prevent the local extinction of this iconic species.” The population has seen a 63 per cent drop in numbers since the last estimate at 309 individuals in 2019, despite high numbers of breeding penguins in 2016 and healthy baitfish stocks recorded in late 2018. Dr Cannell noted the population decline may be due to several factors including: less penguins breeding over several years, a reduction in the success of breeding cycles and of penguin chick fledgling survival, and changes in adult mortality rates. The little penguins on the island have been the subject of research for 30 years, and are seen as “key bioindicators” of the health of the coastal marine environment. The report notes that since 2010 “many fewer penguins have been attempting to breed in the (Island’s) nest boxes” and breeding success over the years since has been “variable”. Years with poorer breeding success have been associated with a lower abundance of baitfish in the penguin’s foraging areas. Due to this, penguins were tracked as swimming as far as Geographe Bay, over 150km away, to find food with penguins that would usually take turns incubating their eggs then spending longer stretches of time at sea. Save Rockingham’s Little Penguins founder Dawn Jecks said the report should be a wake-up call for the State Government to overhaul their management of the penguins on the island, which is overseen by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. “This is a really dark day for our city, whose emblem is a little penguin,” Ms Jecks said. “It is crushing for our community but it is also enraging because this Government has been repeatedly warned that its actions and lack of care have been pushing this population to the brink. “As the impacts of climate change are felt more keenly in our region, Penguin Island cannot continue to be managed with tourism and visitation as its main purpose. “If we carry on like this, this colony will be extinct in a handful of years.” Ms Jecks, who is also a Rockingham councillor, alleged the DBCA have “continued with building works” with “minimal compliance to environmental protocols” on Penguin Island. The closure of the on-island Discovery Centre was announced last June with plans for a $3.3 million new facility on the island scrapped and works to demolish the building beginning in late January this year. Ms Jecks said the DBCA had “overseen this disaster and their actions have hastened it”. “The building works have to stop and longer-term island closures must be considered,” she said. “A recovery plan led by independent scientists and experts in seabirds needs to be formulated, and DBCA needs to step aside and let conservation specialists lead on saving this population. “We also need to get serious about a mainland Penguin Discovery Centre. “The City of Rockingham wants to support this outcome and (Environment) Minister (Reece) Whitby says he is in favour. “But will the Cook Government seriously get on board? Let’s hope so because our penguins are depending on it.” A DBCA spokesperson did not directly respond when asked to comment on Ms Jecks claims, but said the report’s findings were “concerning”. “The findings of this survey are concerning, with the main reason for the island’s declining penguin population being a reduction in food sources – such as whitebait – due to warming sea temperatures and climate change,” the spokesperson said. The spokesperson said “many” of the strategies in place on Penguin Island, including restricted public access to the island, “go above and beyond what’s practiced elsewhere in Australia” and no other penguin colony in Australia had those protection strategies. “...It’s important to remember little penguin sites around Australia are experiencing similar issues around food availability, which is related to warming oceans,” they said. “To say there is a connection between the island’s declining penguin population and visitation is wrong. Visitation to Penguin Island has not meaningfully increased in the time since the island’s population began to decline.” The report states proposed changes to infrastructure on Penguin Island and in Cockburn Sound, where some of the penguins forage for food, “could potentially impact the penguins if not managed appropriately”. Cockburn Sound is set to become the home of the $4 billion Westport project which will see WA’s container port moved from Fremantle to the Kwinana industrial area by 2032. A Westport spokesperson said the project had committed $13.5 million to a partnership with the Western Australian Marine Science Institution that will see independent scientists delivering research projects including a report “about methods to minimise impacts” on the penguins. The report calls on the State Government to work with the City of Rockingham on any strategy that may be put in place to assist the conservation of the penguins. City of Rockingham Mayor Deb Hamblin said the city was concerned about the decline in the penguin population. “While it should be recognised that this study was a reflection of the penguin population on Penguin Island during a three month window in 2023 (September to November), the City is concerned that the overall trend indicates the population has been decreasing over recent years,” Ms Hamblin said. “While management of Penguin Island, including the little penguin population on the island, is the responsibility of DBCA, the City will continue to do what it can to work with responsible agencies in raising awareness of this important issue. “Specifically, the City will continue to advocate for additional research and management funding by State Government to support the population and reduce any further declines. “...The little penguins are a unique species within the Shoalwater Islands Marine Park, and are very important to residents within, and visitors to, the Rockingham area.” Ms Hamblin said the Rockingham council had “endorsed an advocacy position that the State Government fund the development of a Discovery Centre that balances the ongoing sustainability of the little penguin colony with the regional tourism value of Penguin Island”. Despite the threats to the Penguin Island population and their declining numbers, Dr Cannell noted the resilience of the penguin colony in the report conclusion and gives hope that their population can recover “with appropriate environmental conditions and threat mitigation strategies”. “For this to occur, a concerted effort from all levels of the community is required to reduce all threatening processes that this colony is exposed to both on land and at sea, spanning from Cockburn Sound to Geographe Bay,” Ms Cannell wrote. “Every breeding attempt by a penguin pair is critical for the future of the population. “Further work to determine the habitat used by fledglings and juveniles before they return to the island as sexually mature adults is also important.”