UK puffin colonies face mounting pressure from sand eel decline, climate change and predation. Welfare of individual birds is increasingly linked to oceanographic changes beyond any single colony's control.
Puffin chick welfare is directly threatened when parents cannot find adequate sand eel supplies within commuting range of the colony. Chicks that fail to reach fledging weight are abandoned rather than fledging underweight — a natural welfare decision that prevents chronic starvation. At a population level, however, widespread chick starvation represents a welfare crisis. Reducing sea warming through climate policy is the only long-term solution; marine protected areas can provide partial protection.