BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-09)

WA R M I N G A N TA R C T I C ATHEWINNERS&LOSERS

WINNERS

Kingpenguin

Kingsareadeptswimmers,

routinelydivingover100min

searchoffishandsquid.Preferring

toforageinopenwaters,they

areexpectedtobenefitfrom

Antarctica’sretreatingsea-ice.

Already,theseelegantbirdsare

movingsouth,turningupinplaces

suchasElephantIsland.

Southernrightwhale

Theselargebaleenwhalesfeed

ontinycopepodplankton.Once

huntedtonearextinction,their

numbersarenowontheriseand

couldreboundfurtherstill,Asthe

watersaroundAntarcticawarm

andthesea-icemelts,conditions

willripenforplanktonblooms,

creatinga veritablefeastforthese

oceangiants.

LOSERS

Emperorpenguin

Thelargestofpenguins,emperors

neediceforprotectionagainst

predators,buttoomuchiceis

equallyperilous,leavingthemfurther

awayfromtheirfeedinggrounds.

If climatechangecontinuesatits

currentpace,morethan 80 percent

ofemperorcolonieswillhavetoofew

adultstosuccessfullybreedby2100.

Antarcticfurseal

Committedkrilleaters,thesefurseals

areexpectedtobeparticularlyhard

hitbythelossofsea-iceinAntarctic

waters.A fursealcaneatmorethan

900kgofkrilla year.Theirchanging

environmentis,however,takinga

toll– fursealsarealreadyshowing

signsoffoodstress,includingfemales

beingbornwitha lowbirthweightand

havingtheirpupslaterinlife.

OLIVEHEFFERNANisa marine

biologistandsciencewriter.She

travelledtoAntarcticaonresearch

vesselsEsperanzaandArcticSunrise,

providedbyGreenpeace.

FINDOUTMOREFactsaboutpenguins:

discoverwildlife.com/penguin-facts

declinesinchinstrappopulationsaround

LivingstonandKingGeorgeIslands.“Fishing

is tightlyconcentratedinareaswhere

predatorsforage,”hesays.“So,theamount

ofcatchbeingtakenis actuallynota small

amountofwhat’savailable– it’senormous.”

Philagreesthatif fishersharvestintensely

offshoreofa particularpenguincolony,those

birdscouldbeaffected.

Somescientistsfeelthatfishersshouldnot

beallowedtocompetedirectlywithwildlife

strugglingtocopewitha changingclimate.

“Regardlessofwhetherfishingis thecause,a

50 percentreductioninchinstrapscertainly

suggeststhata bigchangeinmanagementis

needed,”saysSteveForrest.

Whateverthecauseofthechinstrap’s

decline,thedemiseofthesecreaturessignals

thatsomethingis severelyamiss.“There

usedtobea lotmorechinstraps,andthat

meansthattheoceanis nowfunctioningina

differentway,”saysHeatherLynch.“Weneed

tounderstandthis,becausewedependon

theoceanasmuchasthepenguinsdo.”

Antarctica is experiencing climate change faster than anywhere else on Earth, with profound impacts.

BBC Wildlife 65

CHINSTRAP PENGUINS

September 2020