Reducing CO2 emissions is crucial, but there are hands-on ways to protect animals from inevitable warming
, which compares the fates of seabirds in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, suggests intensive commercial fishing may be making life on a warming planet much harder for birds.
There are various ways in which climate change and other human pressures might make it harder for seabirds to find the fish they need to feed their young, Sydeman says. As the oceans get warmer and fish seek out cooler areas, birds may have to cover larger distances between foraging areas and nesting colonies or dive deeper to find food as fish seek out the cooler depths. “Some species, such as kittiwakes, simply cannot do this,” he says.
Of growing concern in the Southern Hemisphere are fisheries focusing on smaller species, such as anchovies or even the krill that many birds feed to their young. “For the birds, it’s really about the food,” Sydeman says. “So anything we can do to help maintain their prey, particularly closing fisheries around the colonies during the breeding season, when they really need food, would be very welcome.