Wildlife Welfare

Wild Puffin Atlantic Ocean Welfare

Atlantic puffin populations are declining due to climate-driven changes in prey fish availability, with welfare implications for breeding adults and chicks.

Key Facts

UK puffin populations have declined significantly particularly at some northern colonies
Sand eels are the primary prey and their availability is closely linked to sea temperature
Warmer seas have shifted sand eel distribution away from traditional puffin feeding areas
Breeding failure due to insufficient food causes progressive colony decline
Puffin colonies on UK islands can be surveyed by volunteers contributing to population monitoring

Welfare Considerations

Puffin chicks that do not receive enough food from foraging parents face starvation - a prolonged welfare suffering that cascades into colony-level decline. Climate change is driving the prey availability changes that cause this starvation. Each climate action that slows warming reduces the welfare impact on individual puffin chicks across UK breeding colonies.

What You Can Do

Support the RSPB seabird monitoring and conservation programmes
Volunteer for puffin colony counts at accessible UK sites
Advocate for climate action as a concrete seabird welfare measure