Marine Animal Welfare

Marine Seabird Welfare and Climate Change

Climate change is driving prey fish distribution shifts that cause seabird breeding failures and individual starvation welfare impacts.

Key Facts

Puffins in UK waters increasingly fail to feed chicks as sand eels shift poleward
Arctic tern breeding success correlates strongly with sand eel availability
Some colonies have shown 90%+ chick mortality in poor prey years
Adult seabirds surviving breeding failure face their own energy deficit
Conservation status of many UK seabird species is deteriorating partly due to prey shifts

Welfare Considerations

Individual seabird chicks starving to death represent welfare outcomes of climate change affecting marine prey distribution. Adult birds failing to feed chicks experience their own energetic stress. Climate action is simultaneously a welfare and conservation intervention.

What You Can Do

Support climate action as the primary intervention for seabird welfare
Donate to seabird monitoring programs that document climate-related breeding failures
Choose sustainable seafood that reduces fisheries competition with seabirds for prey fish