Puffin Welfare: Seabird Conservation and Climate

Key Welfare Considerations

• UK puffin populations are concentrated on Scottish islands, Skomer in Wales, and Bempton Cliffs in England.
• Climate change is affecting sand eel distribution — the primary welfare prey for puffin chick rearing.
• Warming seas shift sand eel distributions northward, creating welfare mismatches with fixed puffin colony locations.
• Burrow nesting on steep grassy slopes requires soil conditions that support tunnel welfare excavation.
• Rabbit grazing maintaining short turf on puffin islands provides optimal burrow welfare sites.
• Rat predation is devastating for puffin welfare — island eradication programmes restore breeding success.
• Great Skua predation at some colonies causes chronic welfare stress and reduces breeding welfare success.
• Puffin chick welfare depends entirely on sand eels and small fish brought by parents.
• Poor welfare years see adults unable to feed chicks — 'puffling' welfare mortality increases.
• Oil pollution during rafting at sea causes welfare mortality from oiling and ingestion.
• Plastic ingestion from marine debris causes welfare digestive system blockage.
• Lead weights from fishing lines cause welfare lead poisoning in puffins at nearshore feeding areas.
• Puffin monitoring through burrow counting and productivity surveys provides welfare population trend data.
• Marine protected areas around key puffin colonies reduce fishing welfare disturbance impacts.
• Project Puffin in the USA and UK seabird recovery programmes demonstrate welfare recovery is achievable.