Wild Puffin Atlantic Welfare Breeding

Atlantic puffins face climate-driven prey scarcity that causes chick starvation, with the most affected colonies showing catastrophic breeding failure.

Key Facts

UK puffin colonies have declined by 30% over the past 30 years in the most affected areas
Climate change is shifting sandeels north and reducing availability near southern UK colonies
Puffins provision chicks with sandeels and sprats requiring multiple fishing trips daily
Breeding failure years when no chicks survive are becoming more frequent
Skomer Island in Wales maintains good sandeels and has stable population trends

Welfare Considerations

Puffin chicks dying from starvation in the nest experience prolonged welfare harm as parents make increasingly futile fishing trips to find prey. Thin pufflings abandoned in burrows as parents exhaust themselves fishing die from starvation and cold over days. Adult puffins expending energy on failed breeding seasons face physiological depletion that affects survival into the following year. The welfare harm compounds through the population as climate-driven prey scarcity worsens.

What You Can Do

Support RSPB puffin monitoring projects at breeding colonies
Donate to sandeel fishing reform campaigns that protect puffin prey
Engage with North Sea fisheries management about sandeel quota restrictions
Support climate action as the primary long-term intervention for puffin welfare
Visit puffin colonies ethically supporting conservation through ecotourism