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The efficacy of culling seals seen preying on seabirds as a means of reducing seabird mortality
Author(s) -
Makhado Azwianewi B.,
Meÿer Mike A.,
Crawford Robert J. M.,
Underhill Les G.,
Wilke Chris
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
african journal of ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.499
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1365-2028
pISSN - 0141-6707
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2028.2008.00966.x
Subject(s) - seabird , culling , threatened species , cape , seasonal breeder , fishery , biology , ecology , geography , zoology , predation , habitat , archaeology , herd
In the 2006/2007 breeding season of Cape gannets Morus capensis at Malgas Island, the removal of 61 Cape fur seals Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus that preyed on gannet fledglings when they left to sea significantly reduced the mortality rate of these fledglings. However, because seals learned to avoid the boat used for their removal, it was not possible to remove all the seals that killed gannet fledglings and some mortality continued. The seals inflicting the mortality were all sub‐adult males, with an average age of <5 years. Sustained removal of these animals may reduce this feeding behaviour, which is at present having an adverse impact on several threatened seabirds in the Benguela ecosystem.