Conservation
Climate Change Impacts
Climate change reaches seabirds mostly through their food, and increasingly through extreme events.
Shifting prey
As water warms, the fish and plankton seabirds depend on move, decline or appear at the wrong time. When food peaks before chicks hatch, breeding can fail even in colonies that look healthy.
Marine heatwaves
During the 2014–2016 marine heatwave in the northeast Pacific, known as "the Blob", an estimated one million common murres died of starvation. It was one of the largest seabird die-offs ever recorded.
Rising seas and storms
Many seabirds nest on low-lying islands and beaches. Rising sea levels and stronger storms can flood nests and wash away whole colonies.
Building resilience
Seabirds cope with climate change better when other pressures are reduced. Removing invasive predators, cutting bycatch and managing forage fish all help populations withstand a changing ocean.
Get involved
Involved in seabird conservation, or want to be? Share your project or ask how to help.