Scientists investigate hundreds of guillemot deaths on UK coastline.
Recently, several hundred seabirds have been found dead along the coastlines of northeast England and Scotland, with many others emaciated. The UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (“CEH”) are conducting an investigation into the deaths and have determined that the majority of the birds are guillemots.
Causes including lack of food and toxins have been suggested for the deaths. © Hugh Venables/Geograph CC BY-SA 2.0
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (“RSPB”) in the UK have identified the climate crisis to be one of the major contributing factors in the decrease of seabird population, saying “Extreme weather, pollution and disease can kill seabirds. If prey fish are scarce, seabirds can be weakened through starvation.”
Dr Francis Daunt, an ecologist at CEH has told BBC that many of the guillemots are starving, saying “The birds are emaciated - they are little more than skin and bone, with many half their usual weight, which is catastrophically low.”
A study in 2015 found that the world’s seabird population had plummeted by nearly 70% in 60 years. The decline in seabirds indicate that there is something wrong with marine ecosystems.
Seabird breeding numbers in Scotland have declined by almost 50% since the 1980s. A report produced by a Scottish Government agency NatureScot have found climate change, fisheries and invasive non-native species to be the main reasons for the decline.
The RSPB hosts the BirdLife International Marine Programme, which works internationally to tackle the seabird decline. The programme aims to work at a policy level, as well as with people at a local level to find practical solutions with fishers to implement balanced measures.