Sandell fishing suspension throws Scottish puffins lifeline

Puffins have returned to Scottish breeding colonies, amid hopes that the closure of waters to industrial sandeel fishing will help reverse their decline.

Conservationists and nature enthusiasts are celebrating the return of Atlantic puffins to Scottish shores for this year’s breeding season.

Their arrival in locations from the RSPB’S Sumburgh Head reserve in Shetland to the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth follows a closure on industrial sandeel fishing, which has come into force just in time for the season.

Sandeels, a main source of food for puffins and their chicks, have been under pressure from climate change and overfishing.

Despite this cause for hope, around 24 per cent of puffins have been lost from the UK since 2000, with that rising to 32 per cent in Scotland, which is home to about three quarters of the UK total.

RSPB Scotland yesterday stated the Scottish Government’s action on sandeel fisheries will help reverse this decline. But the charity warned that the puffin – known as the “clowns of the sea” – remains one of the most threatened seabirds.

It insists much more still needs to be done. Helen Mclachlan, RSPB Scotland’s head of marine policy, said: “It’s always a joy to see puffins return to our coastlines each spring, and while we welcome the recent sandeel fishery closures, it’s important to look at this within the context of broader concerns.

“Puffins and other seabirds continue to suffer serious declines in the face of threats such as climate change, invasive non-native predators, and human activities.

“To that end, we are urging the Scottish Government to develop and introduce a strong Seabird Conservation Strategy that will turn around the devastating declines we are currently witnessing across 70 per cent of our seabird populations.

“It is our hope that these measures will mean

healthier seas for puffins and our other amazing seabirds, so we can enjoy them long into the future.”

Tens of thousands of people, including RSPB supporters, called for an end to the fishing of sandeels in UK waters last year. With the closures now in place, puffins and other seabirds have been thrown a lifeline.

The most recent seabird census, Seabirds Count, published in November last year, suggests that about 24 per cent of puffins have been lost from the UK since 2000.

It is predicted that the UK’S puffin population could plunge 90 per cent by 2050 if global warming is left unchecked. Facing threats to both their nesting sites and their food supply, the climate crisis is only making things worse for these birds.

The puffins now arriving back to their breeding colonies have not touched land for months as they spend winters at sea.

Continuing to arrive throughout April, they will reunite with their lifelong partners in their annual burrows in preparation for breeding.

Puffins lay a single egg, which both parents incubate for around 40 days. Breeding pairs share feeding duties until the puffling is ready to fledge in July.

The distinctive and lovable birds then leave at the end of the summer to repeat their annual cycle.