Chinstrap penguin numbers increased in the mid-20th century, attributed by some to the rebound of krill from centuries of seal and whale hunting. Increases in fishing catch during the non-breeding period were likely to result in impacts on both chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and gentoo (P. papua) populations. penguins (3000 and 1200 pairs) and 50 pairs of chinstrap. New research published last month in the journal Polar Biology suggests that courtesy of global warming, the population of chinstrap penguins (Pygoscelis antarctica) is on a steady decline with more than a third of their colony gone over the course of the past 20 years.. Both the adélie penguin population on Petermann Island and the chinstrap colony at Baily Head on … Ecologists estimate that the worldwide chinstrap penguin population exceeds 15 million birds. Finally, the populations of Antarctic tern, southern giant petrel and kelp gull have stabilized or slightly increased. We tested that assumption by crossing data on fishing activities and Southern Annular Mode (an indicator of climate change in Antarctica) with penguin population data. A research team spent 11 days trekking in Elephant Island, counting chinstrap penguin nests and noted a decline of 56% of the population, compared to the benchmark from 50 years ago, National Geographic reports. Compared to previous estimates, gentoo penguins seem to have increased whereas chinstrap penguin have decreased. On a recent Greenpeace expedition to Antarctica, researchers from Stony Brook University found that the chinstrap penguin population has plummeted by nearly 60% since the last count in 1971. Finally, chinstrap penguins also show a signature of population expansion after the Last Glacial Maximum, similar to that detected for other Pygoscelis penguins in the WAP [6, 22, 24]. The numbers have dropped across the … Large penguin populations can be found in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Chile, Argentina and South Africa. Chinstrap penguins are the latest species whose survival is being jeopardized by climate change, according to researchers from Stony Brook University. Received 28 November 2011, accepted 2 June 2012 A chinstrap penguin. ANDREW SHIVA/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS VIA CC BY SA 4.0 The largest population, estimated at five million pairs, occurs in the South Sandwich Islands. Some species have been hit particularly hard. In Pictures: Chinstrap penguin population declines in Antarctica Scientists blame climate change for number of penguins in some colonies in West Antarctica falling by 77 percent. One nearby island, actually called Penguin Island, has seen its chinstrap population plunge by nearly 75% over the past four decades. Penguin populations can be found in countries such as New Zealand, Australia, Chile Argentina! 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