Seabirds are being pushed to the brink by human activity at sea. Now, researchers working closely with industry have developed a new tool designed to support better coexistence between seabirds and commercial activities in Norwegian waters.
Atlantic puffins have experienced a dramatic population decline due to reduced food availability. Photo credit: Signe Christensen-Dalsgaard/NINA
One hundred and fifty years ago, seabirds lived in a very different coastal environment from the one we know today. The ocean was vast, limitless and largely untouched. Species were abundant, colonies were large, and fish stocks were rich.
Today, humans occupy an ever-growing share of marine space, and the ocean is no longer the seabirds’ domain. Rising demand for energy and food production is driving more industries offshore.
Pushed to the Edge
Shipping lanes, oil and gas installations, offshore wind farms and aquaculture facilities disrupt migration routes and vital feeding grounds. At the same time, industrial fishing reduces food availability, while climate change brings warmer seas, more extreme weather and shifts in prey distribution.
“It’s not a single wind turbine, oil platform or trawler that is the problem. It’s the cumulative impact of everything humans do at sea that affects our seabirds,” says Tone Reiertsen, researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA).
The consequences are severe. Eight out of ten seabirds in Norway have disappeared since the 1970s. Species such as the common guillemot, Atlantic puffin, razorbill, Arctic tern and black-legged kittiwake now face a high to extremely high risk of extinction in Norway if current trends continue.
The common guillemot is critically endangered and at risk of extinction. Photo credit: Svein Håkon Lorentsen/NINA
Mapping Pressures – Species by Species
In response, researchers and partners from industry have developed a tool that makes it possible to accommodate both seabirds and industrial activity in Norwegian marine areas.
“The tool is a digital map that shows where seabirds are distributed and where different types of industrial activities take place. This allows new activities to be planned in areas that are least important for seabirds,” says Frank Hanssen, senior engineer at NINA.
The mapping tool is based on extensive datasets collected over the past forty years. It provides detailed insight into which marine areas are most important for seabirds, and which human pressures — including climate change — have the greatest impact.
Revealing Climate ‘Hotspots’ at Sea
Through this work, researchers have identified overlaps between seabird distributions and ocean areas that are warming faster than others. When such climate “hotspots” coincide with key breeding and feeding areas, seabird survival and reproduction are affected far more severely.
“Findings like these clearly show how importance of using all available knowledge when planning future human activities in our marine areas,” says Kate Layton-Matthews, researcher at NINA.
First of Its Kind
Due to its scale and level of detail, the tool is considered the first of its kind.
“This has never been done before with so many species and so many colonies. We can actually show how each individual population is affected by human activity both during and outside of the breeding season,” says Reiertsen.
The new innovation is at the forefront internationally among tools that support sustainable coexistence between people and seabirds at sea.
“Coexistence and sustainability are fundamental to all our offshore activities. That’s why this kind of knowledge and research is essential for finding the solutions we need,” says Hanne Wigum, Head of Offshore Wind Concepts at Equinor.
Read more about the tool here
Learn more about hotspots at sea here
Contact: Tone Reiertsen
Facts: Marine Spatial Planning and Cumulative Impacts of Blue Growth on Seabirds (MARCIS)
MARCIS is a collaboration between research institutions, industry and government authorities. The project aims to support ecosystem-based management of marine areas by providing a decision-support tool that balances environmental and industrial interests in marine spatial planning.
Study area:
Norway’s Exclusive Economic Zone and the North Sea.
The project has:
1. Produced detailed maps of human activities in the marine environment and seabird distributions.
2. Assessed the impacts of offshore wind farms on seabirds and migratory birds.
3. Evaluated seabirds’ behavioural responses and sensitivity to human marine activities.
4. Calculated the vulnerability of specific seabird populations to human pressures and ocean warming.
5. Developed a decision-support tool that allows users to quantify and visualise the cumulative impacts of marine industrial activities on seabirds in specific ocean areas, contributing to more sustainable marine management.
Learn more about MARCIS
here