Demographic characteristics of the Adélie penguin population of Béchervaise Island after 12 years of study

Demographic parameters (age-specific mortality rates, fecundity levels and population numbers) were analysed for the Béchervaise Island Adélie penguin colony in eastern Antarctica after 12 years of CEMP monitoring. A life table was constructed, and predicted rates of population growth and breeding success calculated. As for most long-lived seabird species, growth/decline rates of the Adélie penguin population at Béchervaise Island were found to be more sensitive to changes in annual survival rates, especially of young breeding adults, than to changes in fecundity parameters. These findings are discussed briefly in relation to other CEMP parameters, environmental factors and fishery regulation.