By Tony Norton
My grandmother, Joan, wrote a poem about the penguins of Stony Point, Betty’s Bay. The Stony Point penguin colony was established in 1982 due to declining penguin numbers. These are African penguins, previously named Jackass Penguins because of their call. The colony was larger back when she penned the poem, more than thirty years ago. Unfortunately, as we’ll see, things changed.
The penguins dig natural burrows in which to nest. However, vegetation cannot always grow on top of the burrows, as the guano used in their construction affects the soil and inhibits plant growth. Therefore, these burrows were later covered with brush to protect them from the elements. More recently, some birds have been provided with pre-built carbon fiber burrows designed to mimic natural ones. Conservationists at CapeNature have also improved security by actively chasing away seals that attack penguins, allowing the penguins to fish safely from the sea. While the penguins must still contend with the “crash and suck of the breakers,” as Joan says, to get ashore, they now have a safe place to nest.
The poem states that in the late afternoon, the penguins return “tired from a long day’s fishing” to nest for the night. However, these days, they are more than just tired. Badly depleted fish populations over several years have forced the penguins to swim much farther than ever before to meet their daily food needs. Research shows that sardine populations – a staple of the penguin diet – have remained low and depleted since the mid-2000s, according to Brinkman et al. (2024). The lack of food makes it much harder to sustain penguin populations in sanctuaries such as Stony Point. This issue is particularly concerning given that, according to CapeNature, penguins mate for life. Breeding penguins typically search for food within 15 km of their nest, but due to overfishing, they now struggle to find fish within that range. This, among other factors, has led the African penguin to become critically endangered, with its population continuing to decline. According to the Daily Maverick, as of the end of 2023, there were fewer than 8,750 breeding pairs remaining. Currently, CapeNature reports that there are 691 breeding pairs at Stony Point. The penguins’ habitat distribution has also shrunk dramatically: in the 20th century, penguins were found along the Southern African west coast as far north as Namibia, specifically Mercury Island near Walvis Bay.
Fortunately, there is great hope. On 12 March 2025, the South African government, seabird conservation groups, and the sardine and anchovy fishing industry reached an agreement in a Pretoria High Court to change the current no-fishing zones close to six crucial African penguin breeding colonies so that the fish populations in the specific locations where scientists have recorded the penguins fishing, can recover. Scientists said the previous no-fishing zones were not protecting the populations of sardines and anchovies enough to sustain and grow the breeding colonies. Regarding Stony Point specifically, the zone excludes all fishing vessels and covers a much larger area than before: currently it covers 20 square kilometers.
Penguins
by Joan Norton
What are those dots on the sunset sea-
Those shining bobbles of white?
It must be some penguins returning home
To Stony Point for the night.
Tired from a long day’s fishing
They’re facing some further shocks:
The crash and suck of the breakers
As they struggle out on to the rocks.
But what a change in those penguins
Ashore and standing upright
Like a row of neat little waiters
In immaculate black and white!
See them trotting in single file –
Webbed feet and short little legs –
To their nests under the bushes and boulders
Where their mates are guarding their eggs.
Hear them calling, beaks to the sky,
With a raucous donkey bray,
So we know them as Jackass Penguins
Though they’re African Penguins today.
I will be watching with interest how this new law helps the penguin population to rise in the coming years.
Information sourced from:
- Brinkman, Faye R. V, Smolinski, S., Mohammad Hadi Bordbar, Hans M. Verheye, van der Lingen, C.D. and Wilhelm, M. (2024). Unveiling Ecosystem Shifts in the Southern Benguela Through Otolith Biochronologies of Sardine (Sardinops sagax). Fisheries Oceanography, Volume 34(2). doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/fog.12710.
- Engel, K. (2025). African penguin litigation: Win for fishing industry, conservation groups. [online] Daily Maverick. Available at: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-03-19-african-penguin-litigation-win-for-fishing-industry-conservation-groups/?dm_source=dm_block_list&dm_medium=card_link&dm_campaign=main&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=first_thing [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
- Williams, T., Ward, J. and Boyes, K. (n.d.). AFRICAN PENGUIN Spheniscus demersus. [online] CapeNature. Available at: https://www.capenature.co.za/uploads/files/Resources/Stony-Point_booklet.pdf [Accessed 14 Apr. 2025].
Tony Norton