Urgent motion is required to save lots of Scotland’s seabirds, it has been claimed, as a report reveals for the primary time the extent of the devastation on populations attributable to avian flu.
The RSPB report reveals extremely pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) – generally generally known as avian or chook flu – has reversed the few constructive or steady developments in Scottish seabird numbers counted in probably the most recent census solely final 12 months.
Of the 20 seabird species for which specialists may confirm inhabitants developments in Scotland, 17 (85 per cent) are actually in decline.
Prior to the HPIA outbreak first recorded in 2021, there have been 14 (70 per cent) in decline – some by as much as 79 per cent over 20 years – with solely three species, the gannet, nice skua and European storm-petrel, rising in numbers.
The new report reveals that gannets have since suffered a 22 per cent decline whereas greater than three quarters (76 per cent) of Scotland’s nice skuas have been misplaced to HPAI.
Scotland is home to as much as 60 per cent of the worldwide breeding inhabitants of nice skua and 46 per cent of Gannets, that means these declines have worldwide implications.
The sandwich tern, one in every of solely three “steady” species earlier than the outbreak, has since declined by 22 per cent, seemingly attributable to HPAI. There had been “substantial additional mortalities” for species comparable to kittiwake, guillemot and black-headed gull final 12 months.
The RSPB stated Scotland’s seabirds had been already being considerably impacted by a spread of pressures, together with local weather change and unsustainable fishing practices, earlier than HPAI emerged.
Species comparable to Arctic skua, lesser black-backed gull, herring gull, widespread tern and Arctic tern, which had been all in decline previous to 2021, have been impacted additional by HPAI.
Paul Walton, RSPB Scotland’s head of habitats and species, stated: “The sight of so many useless seabirds on our cliffs and seashores over the previous couple of years has been heart-breaking and left many fearful for his or her future. Those fears are well-founded.
“The declines in Scotland’s seabirds revealed by the Seabird Count census final 12 months are nothing in need of catastrophic. And now we all know the true state of affairs is even bleaker as we see the extra inhabitants declines which were wrought by the brand new risk from chook flu originating in East Asian poultry.”
RSPB Scotland known as for rapid motion on local weather change, together with protecting fossil fuels within the floor and decarbonising Scotland’s power methods, whereas guaranteeing offshore wind farms are solely positioned within the least damaging locations for seabirds and different marine wildlife. They stated pressing motion was wanted to observe fishing at sea and get rid of seabird deaths from bycatch – the unintended trapping of birds in fishing gear, which is estimated to kill 1000’s of seabirds annually. Other measures, they insist, should embrace a rolling programme of island restoration to get rid of invasive non-native species.
Mr Walton stated the brand new report “must be the wake-up name that lastly makes a distinction”.
The origins of the present pressure of HPAI, H5N1, may be traced again to intensive poultry operations in China in 1996. It later spilled into wild chook populations and has developed into a worldwide ecological disaster.
