Overfishing Blamed for Penguin Deaths

PORT STANLEY, Falkland Islands — Thousands of penguins have died in the Falklands, wildlife officials said Sunday, and members of the British colony’s governing council are linking the deaths with overfishing by foreign vessels.

Islanders have called for Britain to unilaterally impose a 200-mile fishing zone around the islands, which Britain and Argentina fought over in 1982, but London is reluctant to do so because it would add to the already enormous cost of the Falklands’ defense.

Andrew Douse, head of the Falklands Research Center, said the dead penguins were very emaciated, weighing 25% to 50% of what would be normal for this time of year, evidence that theywere having trouble finding fish.