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Penguins in South Africa are being driven from their native environment because of noise from shipping activities.
由于航运活动产生的噪音，南非的企鹅正被赶出它们的本土环境。
The African penguin lives on St. Croix island off the east coast of South Africa.
非洲企鹅生活在南非东海岸的圣克罗伊岛上。
The animals are already endangered.
这些动物已经濒临灭绝。
But a new study has found that African penguins are leaving their natural environment to escape noisy ship refueling operations.
但一项新的研究发现，非洲企鹅正在离开它们的自然环境，以躲避船只加油产生的噪音。
The island once held the world’s largest reproducing colony of the animals.
该岛曾是世界上最大的企鹅繁殖地。
But the population has dropped sharply since South Africa started permitting ships in the area to refuel at sea six years ago, the study found.
但该研究发现，自从南非六年前开始允许船只在该地区海域进行海上加油以来，该地区的企鹅数量急剧下降。
Lorien Pichegru is acting director of the Coastal and Marine Research Institute at Nelson Mandela University, which led the study.
洛里安·皮切格鲁是纳尔逊·曼德拉大学海岸和海洋研究所的代理主任，该研究所领导了这项研究。
She told Reuters news agency the organization had found that noise levels in the area had doubled since the refueling activities began.
她告诉路透社，该组织发现，自加油活动开始以来，该地区的噪音水平翻了一倍。
Scientists say high noise levels affect the ability of ocean animals to find and catch other animals for food.
科学家表示，高噪音水平会影响海洋动物寻找和捕捉猎物的能力。
Noise also makes it more difficult for the animals to communicate with each other and map travel paths.
噪音还使动物之间的交流和导航变得更加困难。
"This year we are at 1,200 breeding pairs at St Croix from 8,500 pairs in 2016,” Pichegru said.
皮切格鲁说：“今年圣克罗伊岛非洲企鹅的繁殖对数为1200对，而2016年非洲企鹅的繁殖对数为8500对。”
"I was counting the dead birds every month on the beach of the bay."
“我每个月都在海湾海滩上数死鸟。”
The study recently appeared in the publication Science of the Total Environment.
这项研究成果最近发表在《整体环境科学》期刊上。
The researchers said the study is the first to explore the effects of ocean traffic noise pollution on a seabird.
研究人员表示，这项研究首次探索了海洋交通噪音污染对海鸟的影响。
In 2016, South Africa's Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) awarded the country's first offshore refueling operator's license to Aegean Marine.
2016年，南非海事安全局向Aegean Marine发放了该国首个海上加油运营商许可证。
Later, it gave two licenses to SA Marine Fuels and Heron Marine.
后来，它向SA Marine Fuels和Heron Marine发放了两个许可证。
The companies operating the refueling activities did not return Reuters’ request for comment.
运营加油活动的公司没有回复路透社的置评请求。
An order to halt any new licenses has been in place since August 2019.
自2019年8月起暂停发放新许可证。
It will only be lifted after an environmental study is completed by port officials.
只有在港口官员完成环境调查后，它才会被取消。
The study is expected next year.
这项调查预计将于明年进行。
Nelson Mandela University's study used data from ship identification tools to estimate underwater noise from passing ships.
纳尔逊·曼德拉大学的研究使用了来自船只识别工具的数据来估计过往船只产生的水下噪音。
Oil-covered penguins were found in 2019 in Algoa Bay after an oil spill from ship-to-ship refueling.
2019年，在阿尔戈亚湾发生了一次船与船之间的加油泄露事件后，人们发现了被油覆盖的企鹅。
Environmental groups have called for the activities to be banned in the bay.
环保组织呼吁禁止在海湾进行此类活动。
Pichegru said penguins in the area were already struggling to reproduce because of a series of issues, including industrial fishing operations.
皮切格鲁说，由于工业捕鱼等一系列问题，该地区的企鹅已经难以繁殖。
She added that the refueling activities did not kill all the penguins.
她还说，加油活动并没有杀死所有的企鹅。
"It was just the thing that made the whole ecology tip over and then the penguins couldn't cope with that," she said.
她说：“正是这件事把整个生态系统搞得乱七八糟，让企鹅无法应对。”
I’m Bryan Lynn.
布莱恩·林恩为您播报。
译文为可可英语翻译，未经授权请勿转载！
