Anchovy larvae comprised 74.5% of total fish larvae sampled in PPB during November to January of 2007-08. Curiously, just 6 months later, the Baywide Anchovy Study Sub-Program conducted during June-July 2008 recorded no Anchovy in the 0+ (first year) age class.

The Goomai grab-dredge in the Yarra

Explanations cited for the failure to find first year Anchovy are:

3. A recruitment failure may have occurred beyond the larval stage.

If anchovy recruitment from the 2007- 2008 season has failed, the effects on penguin foraging would initially be absorbed by the presence of the 1+, 2+, and 3+ year classes. Increased penguin preying on older age class Anchovy is likely to reduce the mature (reproductive) Anchovy population. Combined with the absence of the 0+ age class Anchovy, this is likely to impact on Anchovy recruitment in subsequent seasons.

The degree of impact of the dredging program on penguin prey species such as Anchovy, like many other aspects of the project, will often take more than a year or two to show up. The results of the 2009 Anchovy surveys are sure to be really interesting.

Cut to the bone, but now well healed!

Luckily, the tangled up little critter was discovered by Earthcare St Kilda’s Penguin Study Group on one of their fortnightly checks on the colony.  The bird was whisked off to Melbourne Zoo for treatment and eventually released back to the water, attended by a flock of TV news cameras and adoring well-wishers.

7 seconds of fame!

The issue of entanglement of wildlife with fishing line isn’t new.  But although everyone from A to Z (anglers to zoologists) agree things need to change, the damage is still occurring. But does anyone know of new ways to tackle this problem?