In 2022, the Truell Conservation Foundation generously contributed to the conservation of Northern Rockhopper penguins on Tristan da Cunha by supporting the review of the annual monitoring programme. This aims to lay the framework for a regular and more standardised population monitoring scheme for future population assessments.
The Tristan archipelago comprises three main islands: Inaccessible, Nightingale and Tristan da Cunha itself, the only island with a permanent settlement, Edinburgh of the Seven Seas. Nestled at the base of the volcano on the island’s northwest coast, Edinburgh is home to about 270 inhabitants – the Tristanians.
Gough Island some 380 km south-southeast of the Tristan archipelago, forms part of the Tristan da Cunha group of islands. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (together with Inaccessible Island) and the only breeding site for the Northern Rockhopper south of the Subtropical front.
Northern Rockhopper penguins on Nightingale Island with
Tristan da Cunha in the distance. Photo by Antje Steinfurth
 
Historically, an estimated two million pairs (or 98%) of Northern Rockhopper penguins were lost from Gough Island between 1955 and 2006, and numbers on Tristan da Cunha are thought to have declined from hundreds of thousands in the 1870s to just 5,000 pairs by 1955.
In 2022, the Truell Conservation Foundation generously contributed to the conservation of Northern Rockhopper penguins on Tristan da Cunha by supporting the review of the annual monitoring programme. This aims to lay the framework for a regular and more standardised population monitoring scheme for future population assessments.
Even so, today around 90% of the global population of Northern Rockhopper penguins is found across the islands of Tristan da Cunha, which makes the species’ stronghold fall within the boundaries of the UK’s most remote Overseas Territory. This claim to fame, however, comes with some responsibility as the confined range means that just a single catastrophe could prove disastrous to the global population.
 
The precarious situation of the Northern Rockhopper was highlighted when in March 2011, the cargo ship MS Oliva ran aground off the northwestern coast of Nightingale Island. Approximately 1,500 tonnes of fuel and heavy crude oil escaped from the ship, encircling Nightingale and the adjacent Middle (or Alex) islands, which are breeding sites for almost half the population. We do not know if the oil spill was responsible for fluctuations in the Northern Rockhopper population following the catastrophe. What it did however highlight, was how little we know about the ecology of this endangered species.
 
Northern Rockhopper penguin with chick on
Nightingale Island. Photo by Antje Steinfurth
Project Pinnamin - Local action, global impact
In 2015, the RSPB partnered with the Tristan Conservation Department, the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to propose a comprehensive rockhopper monitoring scheme to the UK Government’s “Darwin Plus” Overseas Territories Environment and Climate Fund to help identifying factors and understanding the mechanisms that are driving population trends and dynamics. In March 2016, funding was awarded and Project Pinnamin was born.
Project Pinnamin is a study of the marine ecology, breeding biology, population trends and survival of the Northern Rockhopper penguin, to identify the potential impact of any natural and/or anthropogenic threats to this population, allowing authorities to effectively tackle any issues. You can find out more here: https://www.rzss.org.uk/conservation/our-projects/project-search/conservation-genetics/conserving-northern-rockhopper-penguins/ and https://www.rzss.org.uk/media/8267/northern-rockhopper-report.pdf

 
Northern Rockhopper penguins on Nightingale Island crossing the microchip reader. Photo by Antje Steinfurth
 
In 2022, the Truell Conservation Foundation generously contributed to the conservation of Northern Rockhopper penguins on Tristan da Cunha by supporting the review of the annual monitoring programme. This aims to lay the framework for a regular and more standardised population monitoring scheme for future population assessments.
 
Ultimately, through this work we generate an updated population estimate for the South Atlantic Northern Rockhopper penguin population and where possible show trends at key monitoring sites to re-evaluate the conservation status of this species. This work is crucial to determine the effectiveness of current conservation efforts and to inform what future site-specific interventions may be required. We anticipate the results of this review to be published by end of this year.
 
Funding from the Foundation also enabled field work to be carried out in support of Project Pinnamin’s demographic study on Nightingale Island, to estimate penguin annual survival rates, an important driver of population trends.
Since 2016, a total of 539 penguins had been microchipped (100 of which were chicks) and these birds are then detected each time they commute along their traditional routes to their nest site by two automated reader systems installed on these paths [see video]. The penguins’ presence or absence during successive years can then be used to compare year-on-year survival and mortality rates. Due to the latest data downloads in February 2024, together with our project partner Norman Ratcliffe at BAS, the RSPB is now writing up crucial results from this study for publication. More news on this soon!