African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) are the first species of penguin to ever make it onto the list of critically endangered animals. They have been having trouble for years due to a loss of habitat and difficulty finding food.

The problem with food is that in some years, there isn’t enough of it for both the penguins and humans. The area where the penguins forage for food overlaps with where humans fish, especially in years where oceanic biomass is low.

According to a study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, in those difficult years where food was more scarce, the penguins were looking for food in the same areas where boats were fishing as much as 20% of the time. Humans are excellent at fishing, especially commercially, so that means that the penguins have a far lower chance of catching anything than they normally would.

This is to say nothing of the dangers to the penguins from the boats or the fishing nets themselves.

This species of penguin feeds primarily on small fish such as sardines and anchovies, along with crustaceans and squid. These are all popular foods for humans as well, which means commercial fishers.

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), if nothing changes, these penguins could be extinct by 2035.

In a statement about the study, the lead author, Dr. Jacqueline Glencross from the Scottish Oceans Institute at the University of St. Andrews, said:

“We wanted a better way to assess how many penguins are potentially impacted when fisheries operate nearby, not just where the overlap occurs.”

Learning where the overlap occurs will hopefully help officials to create more effective no-fishing zones, so that the penguins will have sufficient food to survive.

Closing down certain fishing lanes will be difficult since they are essential not just for profit, but also for feeding many people in the region.

The trick will be finding an effective setup that will allow not just the humans and the penguins to survive, but also the many fish to thrive, so there is enough food for everyone.

If you thought that was interesting, you might like to read about why we should be worried about the leak in the bottom of the ocean.