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Trends in Numbers of Cape Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax Capensis ) Over a 50-Year Period, 1956–57 to 2006–07

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Trends in Numbers of Cape Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax Capensis ) Over a 50-Year Period, 1956–57 to 2006–07 See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/248900198 Trends in numbers of Cape Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax capensis ) over a 50-year period, 1956–57 to 2006–07 ARTICLE in THE EMU: OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AUSTRALASIAN ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION · JANUARY 2007 Impact Factor: 1.11 · DOI: 10.1071/MU07015 CITATIONS READS 23 36 5 AUTHORS, INCLUDING: Robert J. M. Crawford Jessica Kemper South Africa Government University of Cape Town 193 PUBLICATIONS 4,431 CITATIONS 24 PUBLICATIONS 454 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE Robert Simmons University of Cape Town 103 PUBLICATIONS 925 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE All in-text references underlined in blue are linked to publications on ResearchGate, Available from: Robert Simmons letting you access and read them immediately. Retrieved on: 14 January 2016 CSIRO PUBLISHING www.publish.csiro.au/journals/emu Emu, 2007, 107, 253–261 Trends in numbers of Cape Cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis) over a 50-year period, 1956–57 to 2006–07 Robert J. M. Crawford A,B,E, Bruce M. Dyer A, Jessica Kemper C, Robert E. Simmons D and Leshia Upfold A ADepartment of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Marine and Coastal Management, Private Bag X2, Rogge Bay 8012, South Africa. BAvian Demography Unit, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. CAfrican Penguin Conservation Project, PO Box 586, Lüderitz, Namibia. DPercy FitzPatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa. ECorresponding author. Email: [email protected] Abstract. The population trend of Cape Cormorants (Phalacrocorax capensis), a species endemic to southern Africa and that feeds mainly on shoaling pelagic fish, is described for a 50-year period, from 1956–57 to 2006–07. The main breeding localities for the species are grouped in three regions in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem: guano platforms off central Namibia, islands off southern Namibia and islands off South Africa’s Western Cape Province. From 1956–57 to 1978–79, the numbers breeding off Namibia increased, as a result of increased availability of breeding space and adequate supplies of food. In the same period, numbers remained stable in the Western Cape. Numbers decreased off southern Namibia in the early 1980s and off central Namibia in the early 1990s, when environmental perturbations reduced the availability of food. Numbers decreased in the Western Cape in the early 1990s, following periods of scarcity of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), an important prey item, and an outbreak of avian cholera caused by the bacterium Pasteurella multocida. They remained low as cholera outbreaks continued and some pelagic fish were displaced to the east beyond the foraging range of breeding Cormorants. The overall population of Cape Cormorants was of the order of 100000 pairs in 1956–57, increased to ~250000 pairs in the 1970s, but reverted to ~100000 pairs in 2005–06. Additional keywords: avian cholera, environmental perturbation, food, guano, population trend. Introduction The Cape Cormorant (Phalacrocorax capensis) is the most The Cape Cormorant is regarded as Near Threatened owing numerous of four cormorants that breed in the Benguela to a decrease in the breeding population from 277000 pairs in upwelling ecosystem off south-western Africa (Crawford et al. 1977–81 (Cooper et al. 1982) to ~72000 pairs in 1996 (Barnes 1991). It is endemic to the Benguela ecosystem, where its present 2000; Simmons and Brown 2007). In order to investigate breeding range extends from Ilha dos Tigres, southern Angola, to further trends in the abundance of the species, we collate infor- Nelson Mandela Bay, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa mation on numbers breeding over a 50-year period from (Cooper et al. 1982; Dean et al. 2002; Fig. 1). Its usual non-breed- 1956–57 to 2006–07. We consider various factors that may have ing range is from Lobito, Angola around southern Africa to influenced trends in the numbers of Cape Cormorants, includ- Delagoa Bay, Moçambique. Vagrant birds have been recorded as ing the availability of food, which may be altered by both far north as Gabon on theWestAfrican coast (Hockey et al. 2005). fishing and environmental change (Crawford et al. 2007), The Cape Cormorant forages in sub-surface marine waters availability of breeding space (Cooper et al. 1982), disease around the coast by pursuit diving, often in flocks (Rand 1960), (Crawford et al. 1992a) and predation (Marks et al. 1997), and though it also sometimes enters and forages in lagoons (Hockey also compare trends in the populations of Cape Cormorants and et al. 2005). Its main prey is anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), Cape Gannets. sardine (Sardinops sagax), horse mackerel (Trachurus trachu- rus) and pelagic goby (Sufflogobius bibarbatus). It also eats Methods several other fish species and crustaceans (Hockey et al. 2005). Estimating trends in the abundance of Cape Cormorants is dif- Together with the Cape Gannet (Morus capensis), it is the main ficult for several reasons. The species has bred at 70 localities producer of seabird guano in southern Africa (Crawford and and it breeds throughout the year (Hockey et al. 2005), although Shelton 1978). From 1930 to 1963, four platforms were con- seasons of intensive breeding may be distinguished (Berry structed in northern Namibia to facilitate the collection of guano 1976; Crawford et al. 1999b). Replacement laying may occur deposited by Cape Cormorants (Cooper et al. 1982). after nesting failure and successful breeders sometimes relay in © Royal Australasian Ornithologists Union 2007 10.1071/MU07015 0158-4197/07/040253 254 Emu R. J. M. Crawford et al. the same season (Hockey et al. 2005). However, breeding may described in Hockey et al. (2005). The mean size of clutches is occur in waves, with different birds arriving at colonies at 2.82 eggs (Berry 1976). When unattended chicks were found in different times (Berry 1976). Therefore, we concentrate on 16 crèches away from nests, the number was divided by three to localities, which in 1977–81 supported more than 99% of the estimate the number of nesting sites they represented, as nests at total population (Cooper et al. 1982) and have been monitored which these chicks were reared would not have been counted. more consistently than smaller colonies: the four guano plat- Remainders were taken to represent further sites (Shelton et al. forms (Cape Cross North, Cape Cross Central, Swakopmund 1982). At breeding localities that were visited frequently, old and Bird Rock) off central Namibia (74471 pairs, or 27% of the nests were not counted owing to the possibility that birds may population in 1977–81); Mercury, Ichaboe, Seal (Lüderitz), breed twice in a season (Hockey et al. 2005). At localities that Penguin (Lüderitz), North Reef and Possession Islands off were seldom visited, all nests were counted because old nests are southern Namibia (95654 pairs, 35%); and Lamberts Bay, unlikely to remain intact for more than a year owing to prevail- Malgas, Jutten, Vondeling, Dassen and Dyer Islands off South ing strong winds. At Dyer Island, repeat counts of two groups of Africa’s Western Cape (104741 pairs, 38%). We additionally breeding Cormorants were made in 1985 to estimate the coeffi- present information for some smaller colonies that were moni- cient of variation (CV) of the counts. tored sporadically during the 50-year period. Because breeders Photographs, taken vertically from an aeroplane, were often may have been absent at the time counts were conducted, where used to estimate numbers at localities where large numbers of feasible we have applied a smoothing algorithm (Underhill et al. Cape Cormorants breed, or which could not be easily accessed. 2006) to gauge trends from estimates of abundance. On the photographs, counts were made of Cormorant nests, Counts of active nesting sites of Cape Cormorants were which can be readily distinguished as black spots against a made on visits to breeding localities. Nesting sites were defined lighter background, whereas individual birds appear as smaller as paired birds defending a site, sites showing evidence of recent black specks. In general, photographs were taken as close to nest-construction, and sites with eggs or chicks. Nests were midday as possible to minimise the effect of shadows. On aerial identified as belonging to Cape Cormorants through identifica- photographs, the CV on a count of a colony of 3703 nests was tion of birds present at the nests, or using nest-characteristics as 3.6% (Shelton et al. 1982). On photographs of Ichaboe Island, S ANGOLAANGOLA Lobito 15° Mercury Is. Ilha dos Tigres Cunen 26˚ e River Ichaboe Is. NAMIBIA 20° Cape Cross North Seal Is. Penguin Is. Cape Cross Central Lüderitz North Reef Swakopmund 27˚ Bird Rock Possession WALVIS Is. BAY Pomona Is. 25° MOÇAMBIQUE Fig. 1. Southern Africa Plumpudding Is. Delgoa showing the breeding localities Sinclair Is. Bay of Cape Cormorants and other localities mentioned in the text. Or S an 15° E 33° g e River S Malgas Meeuw Is. 30° Is. Schaapen Jutten Is. SOUTH AFRICA Is. Vondeling Is. Lambert’s Bay 33° CAPE TOWN astern Cape e E stern Cap Dassen Is. We Nelson Mandela Bay Robben Is. 35° 18° E CAPE TOWN Cape Agulhas 34° Dyer Is. 35° Breeding locality 18° 19° E 5° 10° 15° 20°25° 30° 35° E Trends in Cape Cormorants over 50 years Emu 255 where several species of cormorant nest in mixed colonies, platforms increased from 12000 pairs in 1956–57 to 74000 ground-truth information on the abundance of other species of pairs in 1978–79 (Fig. 2). It averaged 56000 pairs (s.d. = 12000, cormorant (e.g. Crawford et al. 1999a) was used to adjust n = 6) from 1988–89 to 1998–99 and 27000 pairs (s.d. = 5000, counts (Shelton et al. 1982). Counts for all localities up until n = 3) from 2002–03 to 2005–06.
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