Sex-specific spatial use of the winter foraging areas by Magellanic penguins and assessment of potential conflicts with fisheries during winter migration period

DODINO, SAMANTA; LOIS NICOLAS; LUCIANA RICCIALDELLI; MICHAEL POLITO; KLEMENS PÜTZ; RAYA REY ANDREA

Virtual

Congreso; 7th World Seabird Twitter Conference; 2021

WSTC7 Organizing Committee

Magellanic penguin is the most migratory of the Spheniscus genus and a major consumer of marine resources over the Patagonian Shelf. We equipped penguins with geolocators after molt at Martillo Island (February-March 2017) and we recovered devices and collected blood samples for δ13C and δ15N analysis the following season. Also, we evaluated their spatial overlap with bottom trawls and shrimp fisheries using satellite fisheries monitoring. From May to August, penguins dispersed northwards from 54º up to 40°S and showed latitudinal spatial segregation between sexes (females dispersed further north). Females did not dive as deep as males for the entire period. During the last month of migration, females dispersed more south and presented lower trophic position than males. We found no sex-specific spatial overlap with neither fishery. Our results highlight the importance of understanding the spatial domains of each sex and assessment of their potential conflicts with fisheries during winter period.