Extensive use of the high seas by Vulnerable Fiordland Penguins across non-breeding stages
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Extensive use of the high seas by Vulnerable Fiordland Penguins across non‑breeding stages Jean‑Baptiste Thiebot1 · Charles‑André Bost2 · Timothée A. Poupart2,3,4 · Dominique Filippi5 · Susan M. Waugh3,6 Received: 19 February 2020 / Revised: 15 April 2020 / Accepted: 19 May 2020 © Deutsche Ornithologen-Gesellschaft e.V. 2020
Abstract Migratory seabirds experience varying levels of both protection and threats as they travel across marine regions and countries’ jurisdictions. Studying their seasonal distribution provides insights into the full range of exploited habitats and potential gaps in conservation policy existing in the visited areas. Here we used light-based geolocation to examine the seasonal atsea distribution of an endemic seabird from New Zealand, the Fiordland Penguin Eudyptes pachyrhynchus, with respect to Economic Exclusive Zones (EEZs). We show that the five birds successfully tracked from the remote Open Bay Islands exploited vast areas in the South Pacific Ocean and used contrasted habitats across seasons. During extensive periods at-sea before and after moulting, Fiordland Penguins reached cold oceanic waters across the Subantarctic Front (Subantarctic and Polar Frontal zones, 2–10 °C), ranging 1500–2000 km in the southwest of their colony. Across both these trips, all birds distributed extensively outside New Zealand’s EEZ (nearly 50% of time), into areas beyond national jurisdiction providing little tangible protection, and some temporarily entered Australia’s EEZ. This contrasted with previous results from the breeding season, when the Penguins distributed exclusively within New Zealand’s EEZ, in relatively shallow and warm (c. 12–20 °C) waters north of the Southern Subtropical Front. Annually, the tracked Penguins spent 102 days outside New Zealand waters, of which 79 days in the high seas. Our results provide new perspectives on pertinent conservation strategies for migratory “endemic” Penguins. Year-round approach on the at-sea ecology of species seems fundamental for adequate management of threatened marine biodiversity. Keywords Areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) · Economic exclusive zone (EEZ) · High seas · marine megafauna · Crested penguin · Eudyptes · Light-based geolocation (GLS) · Bio-logging · Tracking · Conservation · Moult · Southern oceans · Seabird · Frontal zones Zusammenfassung Umfassende Nutzung der Hochsee durch gefährdete Dickschnabelpinguine außerhalb der Brutsaison Ziehende Seevögel erfahren sowohl Schutz als auch Bedrohung in unterschiedlichem Ausmaß, während sie durch unterschiedliche Meeresregionen und die Rechtsräume verschiedener Länder ziehen. Ihre saisonale Verbreitung zu Communicated by C. Barbraud. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-020-01791-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users. * Jean‑Baptiste Thiebot [email protected] 1
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School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Deakin University, 2
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