A South African court ruling on Tuesday banned commercial fishing around key breeding colonies of the African penguin, a species teetering on the edge of extinction.
The decision aims to protect the birds from dwindling food supplies, particularly sardines and anchovies, which are critical to their survival.
The Pretoria High Court’s order prohibits fishing at six crucial penguin habitats for at least 10 years.
These include Robben Island, famous for its historical ties to Nelson Mandela, and Dassen Island, along South Africa’s Atlantic coast.
The order also covers the Stony Point nature reserve.
Bird conservation groups hailed the ruling as a major step in preserving the African penguin.
“This order is a historic victory in the battle to save the critically endangered species,” said BirdLife South Africa.
The African penguin has been classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature since October 2024.
With 97% of the population already lost, conservationists warn the species could be extinct in the wild by 2035 if current trends continue.
Breeding pairs have dramatically decreased, from over 15,100 in 2018 to about 8,750 by the end of 2023.
Malnutrition, linked to a lack of food, forces penguins to abandon breeding, further accelerating their decline.
The court ruling gives the environment minister two weeks to enforce the closure of these six key sites, offering a glimmer of hope for the survival of this iconic bird.
