Response to: “An evaluation of evidence that purse-seine fishing around African Penguin colonies benefits penguins”

<p>A point-by-point responses are given to arguments in Crawford and co-authors (ICTT/20) relating to the impact of fishing around islands on penguin colonies on those islands. Amongst the issues raised are assertions by Crawford <em>et al</em>. that catch is an index of pelagic fish abundance, and queries of the validity of a mathematical analysis method used. It is argued that no evidence or cogent argument has been presented by the authors of ICTT/20 in support of their assertion that: “In order for African Penguin colonies to grow thresholds in local prey availability will need to be higher than those that may currently apply”.</p>