Thick-Billed Murre Welfare: Oiling and Climate Change in the Arctic

Thick-billed murres are abundant Arctic seabirds facing welfare impacts from oil spills, plastic ingestion, and climate-driven changes to their prey base.

Key Facts

Thick-billed murres breed in vast colonies on Arctic cliff ledges across the Northern Hemisphere
Oil spills in Arctic waters cause severe feather fouling leading to hypothermia and drowning
Climate change is reducing the abundance of key prey species including capelin and Arctic cod
Murres caught in fishing nets drown, causing significant bycatch mortality
Colony disturbance causes synchronised flushing responses that result in egg loss

Welfare Considerations

Oil-fouled murres experience rapid deterioration of the waterproofing and insulation provided by their plumage, leading to hypothermia in Arctic waters. Affected birds must preen constantly, consuming energy reserves, before drowning or dying of cold. Prey shortages caused by Arctic warming force parents to fly longer distances to provision chicks, leading to chick starvation when food cannot be delivered fast enough. Gillnet bycatch kills large numbers annually through drowning.

What You Can Do

Support Arctic oil spill prevention regulations and response capacity
Advocate for mandatory bycatch mitigation measures on gillnet fisheries in murre habitat
Donate to seabird rescue and oiled bird rehabilitation organisations
Reduce your carbon footprint to mitigate Arctic warming impacts on prey species
Support bycatch monitoring programmes to quantify and reduce murre fishing mortality