Puffin Welfare: Seabird Conservation and Food Security

Puffins are beloved seabirds facing welfare threats from sand eel decline, climate change, and introduced predators at breeding colonies.

Key Facts

• UK puffin populations have declined by 30% over the past 30 years due to food availability changes
• Sand eels, their primary prey, have declined in the North Sea due to warming and commercial fishing
• Puffins breeding on islands with introduced rats and mink face severe chick predation welfare harms
• Adult puffins commute up to 100km to sea to find food during chick-rearing periods
• Climate change is shifting sand eel distribution northward, increasingly beyond puffin foraging range

Welfare Considerations

Puffin welfare during chick-rearing is directly linked to sand eel availability. Adult puffins make repeated fishing trips of increasing distance and duration when sand eels are scarce — the energetic cost of extended foraging increases adult welfare burden and reduces their ability to maintain body condition while also feeding chicks. Chick starvation from inadequate food delivery causes the welfare harm of prolonged hunger and developmental failure. Introduced predators at breeding colonies cause acute welfare harm through direct predation of chicks and adults, and chronic stress from predator presence disrupting normal nesting behavior. Predator eradication on puffin islands — proven effective at sites including Lundy Island — is the most direct welfare intervention available at breeding colonies.

What You Can Do

• Support RSPB and Seabird Recovery Programme predator eradication projects on puffin breeding islands
• Advocate for sand eel fishing management that maintains prey availability for North Sea seabirds
• Record puffin breeding colony counts through seabird monitoring programs
• Support climate policies that mitigate ocean warming displacing sand eel prey from puffin foraging range
• Choose seafood from sustainable sources that minimize competition with puffins for sand eel prey