ts within the water. Plankton, krill and small fish cannot thrive under these changes. To put it simply, the waters too warm and theres not enough food. (Boresma). Water temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean have been measured from eighty-three to eighty-four degrees Fahrenheit; which is much warmer than normal and, because of this, fish found in these waters cannot survive, they die or migrate. Penguins found in this region are undernourished and/or emaciated, with an absence of young or baby penguins. Because of the shortage of food caused by El Nino, researchers have found that adults do not attempt to lay eggs. When eggs are laid however, many nests are left abandoned because the birds do not have enough food to remain in the area. When upwelling is absent, the birds forage singly or in pairs, they do not molt, and the few that initiate breeding rapidly lose weight and eventually fail. (Williams, 1995) This contributes to the increasingly low penguin population and is directly caused by El Nino. El Nino is a naturally occurring phenomena which cannot be controlled; however, the actions of humans and their subsequent effects on the population of penguins can be controlled. The biggest threat to marine species is the human impact. The killing of penguins dates back as early as the 1800s and was a major factor in the mortality rate of penguins. Penguins were hunted and killed so that the fat from their fat layers containing oil could be harvested and used for lighting, tanning of leather and fuel. This was an important source of obtaining these necessities in the 1800s and early 1900s. Penguins were hunted and killed by early explorers for use as daily provisions; their carcasses were dried and salted for consumption. They were also a source of fresh daily meat. Fortunately for the penguins, their eggs were a more important food supply than themselves. Sailors on long voyages consumed large quantities of eggs i...
