page_title: Agulhas Bank
section_title: Birds
hierarchical_section_title: Agulhas Bank / Biodiversity / Birds
caption_attribution_description: Stercorarius antarcticus Lesson 1831 Afrikaans: 'n Skoea ter see, naby Dyer-eiland, Wes-Kaap Čeština: Chaluha subantarktická, Jihoafrická republika Deutsch: Subantarktikskua im Flug, Südafrika, Walker Bay English: Brown Skua at sea, near Dyer Island, Western Cape, South Africa Esperanto: Bruna rabmevo, Sud-Afriko Español: Catharacta antarctica Français&#160;: Labbe antarctique Magyar: Barna halfarkas Māori: Hākoakoa Norsk bokmål: Sørhavsjo Svenska: Flygande Antarktisk labb, Västra Kapprovinsen, Sydafrika
context_page_description: The Agulhas Bank is a broad, shallow part of the southern African continental shelf which extends up to 250 km south of Cape Agulhas before falling steeply to the abyssal plain.
  It is the ocean region where the warm Indian Ocean and the cold Atlantic Ocean meet. This convergence leads to treacherous sailing conditions, accounting for numerous wrecked ships in the area over the years. However, the meeting of the oceans here also fuels the nutrient cycle for marine life, making it one of the best fishing grounds in South Africa.
context_section_description: The main food source for African penguins (Spheniscus demersus) is anchovy and sardine which they forage between Cape Columbine and the central Agulhas Bank.  The birds have colonies on Dassen Island, on the South African west coast, and Bird Island, on the south coast.
  African penguins breed opportunistically, following the anchovy and sardine: from February to September on the Western Cape but from January to July on St Croix Island off Eastern Cape.  After breeding, the birds forage further offshore: 10–15 km (6.2–9.3 mi) off the western coast and up to 40 km (25 mi) from their colonies off Eastern Cape.
  In 2005, when Korean and Philippine vessels started longline fishing along the edges of the Agulhas Bank, seabird bycatch became a huge problem.  Large numbers of albatrosses and petrels were killed — in average 0.6 birds per 1000 hooks, but up to 18 birds per 1000 hooks were reported.  Since 2007, however, more restrictive permit conditions for foreign-flagged fleets and the use of birds scaring lines have decreased the number of killed birds by 85%.
caption: Brown skua near Dyer Island
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