UK Gannet Colonies May Not Recover Until 2041 After 2022 H5N1 Outbreak
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
UK Gannet Colonies May Not Recover Until 2041 After 2022 H5N1 Outbreak
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 3
Summary
A new RSPB study says gannet colonies at Bass Rock and Grassholm are unlikely to fully recover from the 2022 bird flu outbreak before 2041.
H5N1 drove a fourfold rise in adult gannet deaths, hitting breeding birds that underpin colony growth and causing long-lasting population damage.
Bass Rock's colony shrank 26% and Grassholm's fell 38%, after an outbreak already known to have killed tens of thousands of seabirds.
Researchers said the losses warrant revisiting the Northern gannet's current IUCN status of "least concern" as wider UK seabird populations continue to deteriorate.
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Catastrophic H5N1 Outbreak Kills 97 Million Birds: Consequences for UK Seabirds and Urgent Conservation Needs
Overview
The 2022 H5N1 avian flu outbreak marked a catastrophic period for wild birds, beginning in the UK in 2021 and intensifying dramatically in 2022. This epidemic killed an estimated 97 million birds worldwide and severely affected seabird species across Europe, especially in the UK. Northern gannets were particularly hard hit, and the status of many UK breeding seabird populations continues to deteriorate. As a result, 62 percent of the UK’s breeding seabird species are now in decline, highlighting the urgent need for conservation action to protect these vulnerable populations.