Wildlife Welfare

Seabird Chick Starvation Climate Welfare

Climate-driven shifts in fish prey availability are causing widespread seabird chick starvation, representing a mass welfare crisis at breeding colonies.

Key Facts

Puffin, kittiwake, and tern chicks are most affected by prey fish collapses
Sand eels, a key prey species, have declined around Shetland and Orkney due to warming seas
Chick starvation at colonies can reach 100% failure in severe years
Adult birds make longer foraging trips and return with insufficient food for chicks
Climate projections suggest worsening conditions for cold-water prey fish species

Welfare Considerations

Seabird chick starvation causes slow, distressing death for millions of individual animals annually; addressing the climate and fisheries drivers of prey collapse is the primary welfare intervention.

What You Can Do

Support climate action and fisheries reform to protect cold-water prey fish
Donate to seabird conservation organisations monitoring and responding to colony failures
Advocate for no-take zones around seabird colonies during breeding season