Northern gannets form some of the largest seabird colonies in the world, where welfare challenges arise from competition, disease, and the impacts of climate-driven prey depletion.
Gannet welfare is shaped by the complex social dynamics of dense breeding colonies, the physiological costs of long-distance foraging for marine prey, and increasing climate-related food shortages. The loss of established pair bonds and site familiarity from disease mortality creates long-term welfare and productivity costs that affect colony recovery. Marine protected areas and policies that support forage fish populations are the most important tools for maintaining the ecological conditions that allow gannets to meet their welfare needs through successful foraging.