Report of First International Conference on Penguins, Dunedin, New Zealand

Abstract

The First International Conference on Penguins was held in Dunedin, New Zealand, from 16 to 19 August 1988. Hosted by John DARBY of Otago Museum and Lloyd DAVIS of the University of Otago, the conference was attended by 123 penguin students representing ten countries. After the keynote address by Bernard STONEHOUSE, 53 papers presented at the conference focused on nearly all aspects of penguin biology. Attention was paid mainly to the 5 species of Pygoscelis and Aptenodytes and 22 papers were devoted to these species. Depth recorders and radiotracking systems were intensively employed in relation to the behavioral researches of penguins in the sea. It was expected that the application of newly developed instruments would benefit such researches as foraging and energetics of penguins. The results on the fluctuation in Adelie penguin populations in the Ross Sea region, in particular at Cape Bird, Ross Island, were considered as valuable data to understand the structure of Antarctic ecosystems. Serious depletion in population of the yellow-eyed penguin, Megadyptes antipodes, in New Zealand was reported.