The latest Scottish Biodiversity Indicator for Seabirds assessed 19 of the 24 seabird species that breed around our coasts between 1986 and 2024. On average, seabird numbers are now around half of what they were in the 1980s.

Using data from the UK Seabird Monitoring Programme, the study found that almost all seabird species studied have declined over the long term, with eight species significantly affected. Worst hit, Arctic skua has seen a 93 percent decrease in numbers since 1986, followed by little tern (75 percent) and common tern (73 percent).