Puffins and other seabirds are facing significant threats from the climate crisis, marine pollution, and extreme weather events. The climate crisis is particularly impactful for seabirds due to their life cycle's connection to the timing and abundance of food supplies.
Warming oceans are causing fish like sand eels to move into cooler waters, leading to declines or disappearances from seabird breeding areas. This means puffin chicks have a lower chance of fledging if parents need to travel further or take longer to find food, and fledglings are less likely to survive the following winter.
Increased frequency and severity of autumn and winter storms, linked to climate change, also contribute to higher bird mortality outside the breeding season. Additionally, marine pollution from oil and plastic, along with disturbance and predation, are reducing breeding success at many colonies.
Despite these challenges, some optimism exists for the puffin's future. A legal victory stopped industrial sand eel fishing in waters around England and Scotland. Furthermore, technological advances since the 1980s have greatly increased understanding of seabird movements and foraging areas, providing crucial data for conservation efforts.