Decline of seabirds is slowing down

The decline in Scotland’s breeding seabird numbers may be slowing down, a new report suggests.

The latest biodiversity indicator published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) uses data largely collected by volunteers to look at numbers of 11 species of breeding seabird.

The results show that, having declined by more than 30 per cent from 1986 to 2011, population levels have since remained fairly stable.

Overall numbers have declined by an average of 32 per cent since 1986, with only two of the species (common gull and common tern) maintaining or increasing their breeding numbers during this period.

Arctic skua, whose breeding stronghold is the Northern Isles, has experienced the largest decline of 78 per cent.

Their falling numbers have been linked to changes in the availability of sand eels, which also affects Northern Isles populations of kittiwakes and terns. Declines are also apparent for herring gull and great-black backed gulls across Scotland.

While below earlier levels, there are signs of some populations such as guillemot and black-legged kittiwake stabilising, with some colonies showing increases.

The number of common tern and Arctic tern has also increased since the last report.

Removing the seabirds’ predators, rats and mink, from seabird colonies is crucial towards securing Scotland’s seabird population. In colonies where the rats have been removed, such as the Shiants and Canna, increases have been recorded.