Fiordland crested penguins once thrived on New Zealand promontories and islets. Their population has plummeted because of fishing nets, oil spills and other human disturbances. They are now listed as vulnerable to extinction. Celeste Byers chose this topic for her mural in the 2016 Sea Walls: Artists for Oceans festival. In the corner of the painting she wrote, “Dedicated to the Fiordland crested penguins and all of New Zealand’s 17 penguin species. Long may you live.”
