Mercury in Fish - Multi-Media Project

Jackass Penguin

This penguin is now called African Penguin, but at the beginning, it was called Jackass Penguin because of its braying like a donkey. It lives only off the coast of southern Africa. In 1930, the population of this species was 1,2 million individuals and now the population has decreased to 90%. There are only 120 000 individual left. (Jocelyn Collins, 2001)

Many industries affect this animal: commercial fishing, oil companies and eggs hunts conducted by humans are some reasons to the collapse of the Jackass Penguin population. Commercial fishing boats take all of the fish that those birds eat, consequently they are unable to feed themselves or their young. Oil companies pollute the seas, the principal habitat of those penguins. And in some countries, Jackass Penguin’s eggs are considered a fancy meal. As a result, the penguins are unable to reproduce fast enough. (Wikipedia)

To preserve this species, Jackass Penguins are protected by the South African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).

  

Sources :  Jackass Penguin, http://www.bcb.uwc.ac.za/envfacts/facts/penguin.htm, Jocelyn Collins, 2001

                  Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Penguin

The Marine Mammal Center

The Marine Mammal Center is situated on the West coast of California. Its goal is to rescue harbor seals, elephant seals and sea lions that are sick or dying on the beach. The Marine Mammal Center makes a difference in the seal lives because it saves approximately fifty percent of them. There are a lot of vets who take care of the seals. In addition, those vets need help from volunteers. This contribution is essential for the Center because without them, the vets would not be able to rescue all these animals.

Moreover, the research done at this Center helps to improve the general knowledge of the vets about how polluted the seas are. Studies show that there is an increase in domoic acid, a toxic chemical produced by phytoplankton found in the ocean off the West coast of California. Vets think that all of this chemical is responsible for the increase in seal cancer, and what affects seals could affect humans one day.

To obtain information about their environment, their behavior and the way they track food, specialists at the Marine Mammal Center put a kind of computer on the head of the rescued animals and, after, they release them. One myth that has been demystified, by using this technology, is that seals are not lazy at all.  In fact, they go half way around the Pacific Ocean to get food.