Entanglement and Drowning of a Magellanic Penguin (Spheniscus magellanicus) in a Gill Net Recorded by a Time-Depth Recorder in South-Central Chile

Abstract

Abstract. Various mitigation measures have been implemented to reduce incidental seabird mortality in longline and trawl fisheries but little attention has been given to artisanal fishing. In the 2008/09 breeding season, during a study of foraging of Humboldt, Spheniscus humboldti, and Magellanic Penguins, S. magellanicus, breeding on Punihuil islets, southern Chile, a Magellanic Penguin equipped with a time-depth recorder became entangled and subsequently drowned in a gill net set for Corvina Drum (Cilus gilberti). The device was returned by fishermen and the data appear to be the first documented case of such a drowning in a marine, air-breathing vertebrate. According to the data, while diving to a depth of more than 50 m, the bird became entangled and drowned, remaining below 60 m for nearly 21 hours until the net was hauled. Although only a single incident is reported, there are indications that incidental mortality of penguins, other seabirds and marine mammals is more common in artisanal fisheries t...