Foraging by Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) during the chick-rearing period: general patterns, sex differences, and recommendations to reduce incidental catches in fishing nets.

This study investigates the foraging behaviour of endangered Humboldt penguins (Spheniscus humboldti) to examine general foraging patterns, sex differences in foraging behaviour, and the reasons for incidental catches in fishing nets. To date, the only information on foraging patterns of Humboldt penguins comes from Chile. Results from the study site, Punta San Juan, Peru, suggests that 922 of approximately 4000 breeding Humboldt penguins died in fishing nets between 1991 and 1998. We report means plus or minus 1 standard deviation (SD) and set significance at a 0.05. The foraging behaviour of Humboldt penguins at Punta San Juan from May to November 1999 was studied by deploying Mark 7 time-depth recorder.