Northern gannets are one of the few seabirds whose populations have grown in the 20th century, but they face growing threats from avian influenza, marine plastic, and fishing bycatch. Understanding their welfare informs conservation priorities.
Gannet welfare faces acute threats from avian influenza outbreaks that cause rapid, painful death for thousands of individuals simultaneously. The 2022 H5N1 outbreak showed that seabird colonies can suffer catastrophic welfare events with limited human capacity to intervene at scale. Marine plastic ingestion and entanglement causes injury and death for individuals throughout the year. Fisheries bycatch kills birds that become caught in nets while pursuing fish. Despite population growth over the 20th century, these emerging threats could reverse gains without continued management.