Rockhopper penguins breeding at the Falkland Islands face significant welfare challenges from prey availability changes driven by sea temperature warming and commercial fishing competition.
Rockhopper penguin welfare is directly linked to prey availability in their Falkland Islands foraging range. Climate-driven changes in ocean temperature alter squid and fish prey distribution, requiring adults to travel further from colonies with lower prey encounter rates. Adults returning to provision chicks with lower body reserves than historically normal provide less food, causing chick growth failure and starvation. Colony disturbance by tourists and researchers causes additional energy expenditure during the critical chick provisioning period. Marine protected areas around key foraging grounds and fishing effort management reduce welfare-relevant foraging competition.