Behaviour This species is not strictly migratory and the majority of birds remain within 500 km of their breeding site year round (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Klages 1994), some (mainly adult males) continuing to use the breeding grounds as roosting sites throughout the non-breeding season (Nelson 2005). However, some adults disperse up to 3300 km from the breeding colonies, moving along the African coast for about 3 months during the non-breeding season (Hockey et al. 2005, Nelson 2005). Juveniles used to disperse northwards in April (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Nelson 2005), travelling up to 4,000 km towards the equator (Nelson 2005), returning to breed around four years of age (Crawford 1999). Breeding occurs between September and April in large colonies of >10,000 pairs and in smaller groups (Crawford et al. 2007). Large foraging aggregations occur around trawling vessels (del Hoyo et al. 1992). Individuals can travel as much as 450 km in a day in search of food (Mullers 2009).
Habitat This species is strictly marine. Breeding It prefers to nests on flat or gently sloping open ground on offshore islands, but will also use island cliffs as well as man-made structures such as guano platforms (Hockey et al. 2005). Non-breeding It most often forages within 120 km of the shore (Adams and Navarro 2005), particularly frequenting areas where purse-seine netting occurs (Nelson 2005). It occasionally wanders further offshore over the continental shelf (del Hoyo et al. 1992) where it benefits from the discards of deep-water stern trawlers (Nelson 2005).
Diet It feeds mainly on shoaling pelagic fish such as anchovy Engraulis capensis, sardine Sardinops sagax or saury Scomberesox saurus, as well as offal discarded by fishing boats including demersal fish (del Hoyo et al. 1992, Hockey et al. 2005). In South Africa, fluctuations in the contribution of E. capensis and S. sagax in the diet match the changing abundance of the species (Crawford and Dyer 1995, Crawford et al. 2007).
Breeding site The nest consists of a mound with a cup-shaped depression in its centre (Nelson 2005). It is made from guano, vegetation and other matter that can be scraped together (Hockey et al. 2005). Where no such material is available, eggs are laid on bare ground (Hockey et al. 2005). .

Morus capensis breeds at six islands: Bird (Lambert's Bay), Malgas and Bird (Algoa Bay), South Africa, and Mercury, Ichaboe and Possession, Namibia. Historically, it bred on four more islands (Crawford et al. 1983). Outside the breeding season, adults may disperse up to c.1,000 km from colonies, whereas juvenile birds may move >2,000 km (Klages 1994). Birds range east to KwaZulu-Natal and Mozambique and as vagrants to Tanzania (Crawford et al. 1983, Klages 1994). On the west coast of Africa, birds formerly moved north as far as Nigeria, and as vagrants to Western Sahara (Crawford et al. 1983). However, there are few recent records of birds moving north of southern Angola, suggesting possible change in dispersal pattern (Oatley et al. 1992, Klages 1994). The species usually remains over the continental shelf, often within 100 km of land (Hockey et al. 2005). Limited exchange occurs between breeding localities (Crawford et al. 1983). There has been a recent shift in the breeding distribution of the species around the southern African coast from the northwest to the southeast, which has matched a shift in the distribution of epipelagic forage fish, the Cape Gannet’s main prey, that may have been environmentally driven (Crawford et al. 2007, 2015).

Conservation Actions Underway
In South Africa, Lambert's Bay and Bird Island are nature reserves and Malgas Island is within West Coast National Park. In Namibia, the three breeding islands are administered by the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources and are part of the Namibian Islands’ Marine Protected Area. All six islands have been identified as Important Bird Areas (IBAs) (Barnes 1998). Oiled birds are rehabilitated with success in South Africa, and the species is protected by law in both countries. Bycatch in trawl fisheries, through collisions with warp cables is being addressed through the use of bird scaring lines in South Africa and more recently in Namibia, although bycatch in the trawl net is more difficult to mitigate due to the birds’ plunge-diving behaviour (Maree et al. 2014).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Carry out surveys to obtain an up-to-date population estimate. Conduct regular surveys to monitor population trends. Identify key foraging hotspots of both breeding and non-breeding gannets from all colonies, in order to protect these in future. Continue research/monitoring the impact of fisheries and predation. Develop and implement a sustainable, coordinated fisheries plan for the region. Develop measures to prevent oil spills from illegal cleaning of ship tanks, and minimise fish oil entering the sea during processing. Consider the potential culling of individual seals that are inflicting excessive mortality on, or causing extensive disturbance to, threatened colonies (Crawford et al. 2007). Reduce competition with purse-seine fishing activities targeting small pelagic fish in South Africa through the implementation of revised fishing quotas and/or no-take zones (Okes et al. 2009, Pichegru et al. 2009, 2010, Cohen et al. 2014, Grémillet et al. 2016).