Marine Wildlife

Marine Wildlife: Puffin Climate Vulnerability

Atlantic puffins face increasing welfare challenges as climate change alters sea temperature, fish distribution, and ultimately the availability of sand eels as prey.

Key Facts

Puffins depend on sand eels as a primary food source, particularly during chick rearing
Warming seas alter sand eel depth and distribution, increasing adult foraging effort
UK puffin colonies on the Isle of May showed near-total chick mortality in years of sand eel scarcity
Puffins carry multiple fish crosswise in the bill and may travel 100 km to find food
UK puffin populations have declined by 10% since the 1980s with acceleration in recent years

Welfare Considerations

Sand eel scarcity causes puffin chicks to starve to death in the nest, a prolonged and distressing welfare outcome. Adult birds that successfully feed their chicks expend extreme energy flying extended distances. The welfare harm is driven by climate change causing ocean warming that disrupts the food web. Addressing climate change is the only long-term solution, alongside fishing restrictions on sand eel stocks.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns to reduce sand eel fishing that competes with seabirds for prey
Submit puffin sightings to seabird monitoring schemes
Donate to organisations monitoring and studying puffin population trends
Support climate action that reduces ocean warming and maintains food web integrity
Visit responsibly at puffin colonies, maintaining safe distances to avoid disturbance