{"id":40587,"date":"2024-08-21t20:47:29","date_gmt":"2024-08-21t20:47:29","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/?p=40587"},"modified":"2024-08-23t13:57:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23t13:57:32","slug":"puffin-conservation-iceland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/puffin-conservation-iceland\/","title":{"rendered":"protecting puffins: conservationists discuss the future of iceland\u2019s iconic birds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

on iceland’s misty, craggy cliffs, where the atlantic meets the arctic, the atlantic puffins \u2014 known for their striking orange bill and soulful eyes \u2014 have long been a symbol of the country\u2019s rugged beauty. but behind the charm lies a stark reality: the puffin population in iceland has plummeted by a staggering 70% since 1995<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

despite iceland’s outward celebration of the puffin as a national icon, the tradition of hunting these birds persists. this practice is primarily driven by cultural heritage and the financial lure of selling puffin meat to restaurants for tourism, according to save puffins<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"a
a puffin cliff. (delan li)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

“puffin hunting in iceland was once considered sustainable, but now scientists say it is absolutely not, and it still contributes to 10% of the puffin population decline,” said puffinologist jillian taylor in the podcast ologies with alie ward<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"a
a puffin resting in its burrow. (delan li)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cpeople used to rappel down cliffs to get their eggs, which were considered a delicacy. since puffins only lay one egg per season, that was really harmful for the population,” said angelica bas gomez, a marine and environmental scientist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“i\u2019m very against selling puffins in restaurants because very few people around were raised with it, and it\u2019s not something you eat every other week. it\u2019s more of a traditional food, eaten once or twice a year,” said saevor erlendsdottir, an iceland undersea specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

puffins as part of history<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"a
a puffin colony. (delan li)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

for centuries, puffins were more than just a picturesque part of the landscape \u2014 they were a lifeline. particularly in iceland\u2019s past when nutrients were scarce, puffins were a significant food source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“seabirds, not only puffins, were a necessary food item when you live in a place where there’s very little food” said michael jackson, an expedition leader for lindblad expeditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cpuffins used to be a diet of icelanders because people needed to survive,\u201d said tua pittman, a cultural navigator with lindblad expeditions.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"a
a puffin with outstretched wings. (delan li)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

but as iceland modernized, so too did its relationship with these birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cas soon as sheep were imported, people consumed (fewer) puffins. and by learning from the herring people\u2019s history<\/a> that overhunting isn\u2019t a good thing, they started to protect them,\u201d said pittman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

yet, this respect towards puffins alone hasn\u2019t been enough to counteract the powerful forces threatening their populations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

what do warmer waters mean for puffins?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

“the collapse of the puffin population was due to not only hunting but also warming seas and overfishing the fish they feed on,” said erlendsdottir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201ckilling their food resource is a big factor,\u201d said taylor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sands\u00edli (also known as sand lance) is the primary food resource of puffins. as a result of overfishing since the 17th century, these small, silvery fish that puffins depend on are becoming increasingly scarce, forcing the birds to travel farther and expend more energy to find food \u2014 often with fatal consequences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

gomez expressed her concern about the warming water. \u201cwe\u2019ll see a trend in species that prefer cooler waters migrating further north as the water gets warmer. but eventually, they\u2019ll run out of places to go, leading to environmental pressures where only the birds that can adapt to the warmer temperatures will survive,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"a
puffins on the sea\u2019s surface. (delan li)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

social forces working together<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

on the island of heimaey in the south of iceland, a self-organized group of citizens called the \u201cpuffling patrol\u201d help lost puffins in the town find their way home. juvenile puffins are known as \u201cpufflings.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cwith so much light pollution in the city, puffins can mistake those light sources for the reflection of the moon reflecting on the sea and become disoriented to fly into town, and that’s dangerous,\u201d erlendsdottir said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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