Puffins could be wiped out by fishing threat, warns RSPB
PUFFINS are among Britain’s rarest seabirds that are under threat of being wiped out by fishermen, an RSPB chief has said, as he calls for the Government to tighten its upcoming Fisheries Bill.
Martin Harper, the head of conservation at the bird charity, said it had launched an investigation into bycatch deaths around Britain’s coasts, which is estimated to kill 300,000 endangered birds a year worldwide. Bycatch occurs when hooks and nets are left in the sea, and birds are attracted to either the bait or the fish they lure, and they become entangled and drown.
Mr Harper has been in discussion with Rebecca Pow, the environment minister, urging her to tighten provisions for bycatch in the Bill, which entered the House of Commons this week. He said that bycatch was a “growing threat” to the UK’s seabirds.
“The UK hosts 25 per cent of Europe’s seabird populations and many of them are in trouble,” he said. “We’ve had issues with puffins, kittiwakes and razorbills being caught by fishermen.”
The Bill includes an “ecosystem objective” which aims to “minimise and “where possible, eliminate” incidental capture of sensitive species including seabirds, but the RSPB argues that Britain needs improvements in monitoring and enforcement. A Defra spokesman said it “fully recognises” the threat that bycatch poses.