TAS: Penguins hunt for food enters cyberspace
HOBART, Feb 12 AAP - Next time you're stuck in a supermarket queue, consider the plightof the Adelie penguin.
Feeding mainly on krill, the penguins sometimes travel up to 120km offshore to catchfood for their chicks. Such journeys can take up to 72 hours.
Their fascinating foraging patterns are now available for all to see on the AustralianAntarctic Division's (AAD's) website.
"The public don't generally get to see what we are doing," AAD biologist Lyn Irvine said today.
"We have the opportunity now to show people what we are finding out at the time weare finding it.
"People are surprised how far penguins go to find food. People don't realise they travel100km or more."
Marine biologists at AAD have been tracking the penguin's movements on BechervaiseIsland, off the coast from Australia's Mawson station, since 1991.
Just 800m long and 300m wide, the island is home to about 2,000 breeding pairs, whichcongregate on its north-western corner.
Adult penguins arrive in October to begin nesting, with the chicks ready to fend forthemselves by February.
Using 10 satellite trackers and five dive depth recorders, scientists monitor the birds'movements in relation to the distribution and abundance of krill to study the link betweenthis and the foraging of penguins.
Dr Sharman Stone, parliamentary secretary responsible for the Antarctic, said the correctmapping of krill was important to several Antarctic species including whales, seals andsea birds, as well as penguins.
"Accurately establishing the distribution of krill is important both for putting inplace sustainable harvest limits for any krill fisheries and for protecting animals thatfeed on the krill," Dr Stone said in a statement.
"There is real potential for fishing fleets to over-harvest the krill, which come togetherin dense swarms.
"We must ensure that harvests are sustainable so that the food source of a whole rangeof sea and land-based wildlife is not destroyed."
Footage of the penguin tracks can be found at http://www.aad.gov.au under the sectionentitled penguin tracking.
AAP las/drp/ts
KEYWORD: PENGUIN
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