A South African court has ruled in favour of protecting the endangered African penguins, barring commercial fishing around key breeding colonies for at least a decade.
The Pretoria High Court issued the order on Tuesday, marking a significant victory for conservationists fighting to save the species from extinction.
The ruling prohibits sardine and anchovy fishing in waters surrounding six crucial breeding sites, including Robben Island, known for its history as Nelson Mandela’s former prison, as well as Dassen Island and the Stony Point nature reserve.
Conservation group BirdLife South Africa hailed the decision as “an historic victory” for the survival of the species.
The African penguin was classified as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in October 2024.
Experts warn that 97% of the population has already been lost, and at the current decline rate, the species could vanish from the wild by 2035.
While habitat disturbances and oil spills have contributed to the decline, conservationists say the primary threat is food scarcity.
Penguins rely on sardines and anchovies to breed successfully, and a lack of nutrition often leads to abandoned nests.
The number of breeding pairs plummeted from over 15,100 in 2018 to just 8,750 by the end of 2023, according to BirdLife South Africa.
The court has given South Africa’s environment minister two weeks to enforce the fishing ban at the six protected sites.
