The state of seabirds on our wild isles

This blog, compiled by our Campaigns and Communications Officer, Lottie van Grieken, and our former Marine Policy Offier, Ally Lemon, examines the myriad of threats facing Scotland's seabrids.

In the final episode of Wild Isles, we saw our coastlines as home to millions of seabirds - many of which Scotland is internationally important for. The seabirds return to our shores after spending winter out at sea, coming back to land to find partners and raise the next generation.

We are very lucky to have such spectacles occurring around Scotland’s coast: a visit to a seabird colony is a truly memorable experience - the smells, sights and sounds are incredible. The sheer number of birds in these colonies is breath-taking, but sadly the number of birds we now see are a fraction of what we had not even 40 years ago.  

Our seabirds are in trouble. They are the most threatened group of birds globally.  

In 2021, NatureScot published its latest biodiversity indicator looking at 11 species of breeding seabirds and found numbers of breeding seabirds in Scotland have declined by almost 50% since the 1980s.

Kittiwake, by Paul Turner

There are several factors contributing to this decline:  

Climate change: 

Climate change is the greatest long-term threat to us and our wildlife. It poses two main threats to seabirds. The first is a rise in extreme weather: high winds that chill eggs, or storms which destroy entire habitats. The second threat of climate change is food availability. As our waters heat up, the new conditions aren’t right for some of the small prey our birds have adapted to thrive on, such as sandeels. 

Lack of food: 

From sardines to sprats, across the British Isles our ‘forage fish’ (the staple fish near the bottom of the food chain) are struggling. That’s because forage fish populations, already disrupted by climate change, are also impacted by commercial overfishing. 

Accidental bycatch: 

In 2020, DEFRA estimated between 2,200 and 9,100 Northern Fulmars and 1,800-3,300 Guillemots are killed each year as bycatch. The upper end of that number for Fulmars is equivalent to 25 birds every day and these estimates are likely just the tip of the iceberg, as tracking the problem isn’t easy. 

Invasive non-native species:  

The accidental introduction of Ferrets, rats and other invasive species into isolated habitats has left our seabirds open to attack. Places where animals have evolved without predators, such as Britain’s islands, struggle to adapt to these newcomers. Burrowing birds like the Manx Shearwater or Storm Petrel are easy targets, and slow reproducing, so bird numbers may never recover from an attack.  

Offshore development: 

RSPB Scotland welcomes plans for the decarbonisation of energy systems, which will help us meet our climate ambitions. But across the UK, offshore renewables need to go hand in hand with much needed environmental considerations if we are to address our nature emergency. Currently, there is a lack of information on the widespread and potentially long-lived effects of these structures and a failure to put in place much needed measures that will help address their impacts. Without forward-thinking plans, we run the risk of selecting ill-suited sites and passing the risk to our already vulnerable seafaring species. 

Avian Flu: 

Avian influenza has been around for a long time, typically infecting waterfowl and spreading through the movement of poultry, poultry products and associated vehicles and equipment, as well as through the movements and migrations of wild bird populations. But the recent unprecedented outbreak has swept through our vulnerable seabird colonies leaving many of them massively depleted. This swift spreading is possible as during the breeding season, many of these birds nest in close and messy quarters, making it easy for the virus to spread easily.

Guillemots, by Paul Turner

However, there are solutions that can reduce and prevent our seabirds being impacted by some of the above threats. We need to make sure these measures are delivered so that we can recover and help build resilience in our vulnerable seabird populations.  These include:  

• To close UK waters to industrial sandeel fishing - DEFRA are currently consulting on a closure within English waters and we need Scotland to take a similar initiative.  
• To introduce effective measures to eliminate seabird deaths from bycatch in fishing gear. 
• Roll out Remote Electronic Monitoring with cameras (REM) across vessels fishing in UK waters to underpin sustainable fishing  
• A rolling programme of island restoration and investment in long-term biosecurity to tackle invasive non-native species.
• Embedding a Nature Positive approach in our energy policies and roll out of offshore wind that frontloads action for nature.
• Ensuring effective protection for the most important parts of our marine environment through designation and effective management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs). Scottish Government are currently consulting on proposed new HPMAs.  These will protect just 10% of Scotland’s seas but will be a huge step forward in helping the recovery of nature. We encourage all those with an interest in the future of Scotland’s seas to respond to the consultation here before the deadline of 17 April 2023 

If you would like to help us act for seabirds like Puffins, please take our current campaign action, calling for the Scottish Government to #SaveScotSpecies.

Header image shows a Northern Fulmar in flight over the sea. Credit: Paul Turner.