A composite proposal related to the penguin colony closure programme

Proposals are made in the light of the results of analyses conducted regarding future field and modelling research and action to be taken on island closures. The island closure feasibility study should be concluded as adequate estimates of residual variance to enable power analyses to be conducted have been obtained for all four islands. Dassen and Robben Islands should be open to fishing, but for 2015 St Croix should be closed and Bird Island open, with a further review of this situation a year hence. Future field research, including possibly small scale surveys, should focus on St Croix Island.