Climate change to blame as seabird numbers fall 19%

SCOTLAND'S seabird population has fallen by almost a fifth in the past eight years after climate change affected the birds' food source, according to a new report.

Scottish Natural Heritage warned that the 19% drop in numbers between 2000 and 2008 was "almost certainly" due to a fall in the number of small fish, such as sandeels, which seabirds feed on.

The organisation said the small fish were being affected by rising sea temperatures, but measures were being put in place to help protect the seabird population.

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They include a reduction in sandeel fishing within foraging ranges of seabirds and the trapping of seabird predators, including the brown rat and non-native American mink. The Scottish Government's Marine Bill also outlines action to improve conservation.

Professor Colin Galbraith, SNH's policy director, said: "After several decades of increasing seabird abundance, we are now witnessing a period of decline. Key reasons are likely to be linked to food availability, weather, and predation. In particular, climate change appears to have affected plankton abundance at the base of the food web.

"We need to keep a close eye on seabird trends and try to understand what is driving them."

SNH reported that species that feed on shoals of small fish had been hit hardest, with the numbers of black-legged kittiwakes down 55% since the mid-1980s and a 71% fall in the population of the Arctic skua.

However, the numbers of bird species which have a varied diet have increased over the past two decades.

A separate report by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, the UK Government's advisor on nature conservation, revealed a UK-wide decline of 9% of the seabird population since 2000.