Wild Atlantic Puffin Welfare and Climate Threats

Atlantic puffins are beloved seabirds facing serious welfare threats from climate-driven prey shifts, overfishing, and plastic pollution. Their welfare at sea and at nesting colonies is increasingly precarious.

Key Facts

Atlantic puffin populations have declined significantly in many parts of their range over recent decades
Climate change is shifting the distribution of sand eels and other prey fish that puffins depend on
Puffins can carry over 60 fish at once in their distinctive colourful bills
They nest in burrows on cliff-top colonies and return to the same burrow year after year with the same partner
Chick starvation occurs when parents cannot find sufficient prey within foraging range of the colony
Plastic ingestion affects puffins at sea — plastic pieces are mistaken for fish and fed to chicks
Overfishing of sand eels in the North Sea has contributed to puffin food shortages in some years
RSPB and BTO monitoring programs track puffin population trends across UK and Irish colonies

Welfare Considerations

Puffin welfare is threatened primarily through food insecurity driven by climate change and overfishing. When sand eels and other prey fish disappear from waters near breeding colonies, parent puffins must fly farther to find food. Chicks left in burrows for extended periods face starvation — a slow welfare harm that is increasingly documented in warming seas. Plastic pollution affects puffins at sea: adults swallow plastic fragments and may feed them to chicks, causing digestive blockage. Oil spills historically caused mass puffin mortality through feather contamination. At nesting colonies, human disturbance and introduced predators cause stress and breeding failure. Welfare improvements require sand eel fishery management, marine protected areas around breeding colonies, and climate action to stabilise prey distributions.

What You Can Do

Support RSPB, BTO, and Seabird Conservation Trust monitoring and protection programs
Advocate for sand eel fishery restrictions in waters adjacent to puffin breeding colonies
Reduce single-use plastic to prevent ocean plastic that puffins mistake for prey
Support marine protected areas around key puffin nesting islands
Learn about puffin ecology and share information to build public support for seabird conservation
Visit puffin colonies only through responsible wildlife tourism operators that minimise disturbance