Ospreys are selective fish predators whose hunting behaviour reveals complex prey assessment, and understanding this enables better welfare management of fishing conflicts.
Ospreys that are displaced from established fishing territories by disturbance or persecution must invest energy in finding alternative sites, reducing the hunting efficiency built through experience. Birds in territories with reduced fish availability make more attempts for each successful catch, increasing energy expenditure. Conflicts with commercial fish farms place ospreys in situations where the predictable prey source attracts them to sites with persecution risk.