Comments on the Weller et al. Robben Island penguin model simulations

Some initial comments are provided on the Weller et al. model of the penguin population at Robben Island. Some general concerns are raised as regards the approach as a whole, and the absence of a good fit to the available data. More specific reservations are raised about the quantification of the relationship developed relating penguin egg and chick survival rates to fish abundance, and in particular the associated assumption that a time series of catches provides a reliable index of that abundance. Further comments await more information promised on the basis underlying of the “Expert opinion” advised to have informed the selection of the values of key parameters of the model.