PETROLEUM POLLUTION AND PENGUINS: MARINE CONSERVATION TOOLS TO REDUCE THE PROBLEM

GARCÍA BORBOROGLU, PABLO; BOERSMA, DEE; REYES, LAURA; SKEWGAR, ELIZABETH

Boston, Massachusets, Estados Unidos

Congreso; VIII International Penguin Conference; 2010

New England Aquarium

Petroleum is one of the most common toxic substances released into the marine environment. Accidental pollution is spectacular and receives a lot of attention when the negative effect to the environment is dramatic. The impact of chronic petroleum pollution is often not sensational and hence receives less attention than it deserves. Mortality of penguins from petroleum is a long term and large scale problem. Petroleum pollution has killed thousands of penguins in Africa, Australia and New Zealand, South America, and even Antarctica. The SW-Atlantic, although not well known for petroleum pollution problems, is a chronic source of petroleum discharge. To avoid severe negative impacts of petroleum on penguins and other marine species, planning and implementation strategies should concentrate on minimizing risk associated with petroleum discharge and development. New legislation combined with effective enforcement could reduce petroleum spills, minimize operational discharges from ships and from land-based sources and thereby, decrease the release of petroleum into the ocean. Reduced exposure and vulnerability to petroleum can be achieved through marine conservation tools, such as MPAs or Marine Spatial Planning to minimize risk to wildlife We review how petroleum pollution has impacted populations of penguins. In addition, we suggest how marine management strategies could mitigate petroleum pollution harm to penguins.