Scientists have recorded declining survival rates for puffin fledglings in the Gulf of Maine's two largest colonies. On Machias Seal Island near the Canadian border, puffin body weights are declining and breeding begins later, another sign of distress. Emaciated birds are washing ashore from Massachusetts to Bermuda. Puffins in these colonies are not getting enough to eat because increasing ocean temperature is disrupting distribution of fish. The "clown of the sea" feeds primarily on herring, but a marked decline of 5% annually in herring has been observed in the diets of puffins. Adults are attempting to feed their pufflings larger butterfish coming up from the south, but the small offspring are often unable to swallow these and starve. Piles of uneaten butterfish were found next to dead pufflings on Seal Island and Mantinicus Rock. Extreme ocean conditions are washing away puffin burrows on Seal Island, a national wildlife refuge. Die-offs are occurring elsewhere too. More than 2500 dead puffins were found washed ashore in Scotland and some in Bermuda. For every dead puffin found, hundreds died without a trace.
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| US Fish & Wildlife |