Atlantic puffin populations are declining at several UK colonies as climate change affects sandeels and other prey fish — welfare science tracks chick condition, adult body weight, and breeding success.
Puffin chick welfare depends entirely on prey delivery rates from parents. When sand eel stocks collapse due to warming waters, chicks receive insufficient food and fail to fledge. Starvation of nestlings is a welfare emergency. Adults in poor body condition have reduced survival rates. Climate change is the underlying driver, making large-scale emissions reduction the primary long-term welfare intervention. Meanwhile, local prey protection through marine protected areas offers shorter-term relief.