Seabirds hit by marine heatwave under threat with urgent action needed, nature charity warns

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The UK Government must take urgent action to save seabirds after an unprecedented “severe” marine heatwave in our seas, conservationists have warned.The RSPB called on Tory ministers to throw struggling seabirds a “lifeline” as warming oceans makes it harder for them to find fish to eat.In a letter to Defra minister Lord Benyon, the charity warned sea temperature rises of a staggering 4-5C above average for this time of year could pile added pressure onto already fragile populations.The temperature "anomaly" in the North Atlantic including the waters around the British isles has seen a “severe” category four marine heatwave declared.It comes as Scotland and the UK’s wild bird species have already been ravaged by a massive avian flu epidemic in recent years.A shocking 24 of the 25 UK breeding seabird species are at risk of local or global extinction and the number of breeding seabirds has fallen by almost a quarter in the last 30 years, including birds like puffins, gannets and kittiwakes.The RSPB said urgent action was needed to address the “cocktail of threats” facing species, including fast-tracking plans to restore our seas and banning industrial sandeel fishing in the North Sea - a vital food source for seabirds.Jeff Knott, director of policy and advocacy at the RSPB, said: “These record temperatures aren’t an early warning sign.

They are yet another example of climate change on our doorstep, disrupting ecosystems in sudden and unexpected ways.“If we are to give our seabirds a fighting chance we must act quickly to build resilience in their populations and improve the health of our seas.“Restoring our special seabird islands, cutting accidental deaths caused by longline and gillnet fishing and pushing ahead with bans