Marine & Wildlife

Wild Gannet HPAI Recovery Monitoring

Northern gannet colonies devastated by H5N1 avian influenza in 2022 are showing signs of recovery, and ongoing monitoring informs welfare and conservation assessment.

Key Facts

The Bass Rock gannet colony lost an estimated 4,000+ adults in the 2022 H5N1 outbreak
Annual counts in 2023 suggested some recovery but population remains below pre-outbreak levels
Young birds hatched since the outbreak are building toward breeding age
No evidence of antiviral resistance developing in wild bird H5N1 populations
Monitoring individual colony welfare enables early detection of future outbreak threats

Welfare Considerations

Gannet colony recovery from HPAI is ongoing, and monitoring provides essential welfare and conservation intelligence. Individual gannets continue to face H5N1 risk at sea and in colonies.

What You Can Do

Support RSPB and JNCC seabird monitoring programmes tracking HPAI colony recovery
Report unusual seabird mortality or neurological behaviour to APHA
Never handle dead seabirds without appropriate protective equipment