Hundreds of seabirds have been found dead on French Atlantic
beaches, exhausted by unusually heavy winter storms that prevent them from
feeding, environmentalists said.
More than 500 common guillemots - seabirds related to
penguins and puffins - have been found dead along the French Atlantic coast
since the year began, French League for Birds has estimated.
Antoine Prevel, a volunteer for the nonprofit Sea Shepherd
France, said guillemot beachings happen regularly in winter, but not to the
scale of the past weeks.
Scientists say it is likely the birds died from exhaustion
due to difficult conditions at sea.
“Climate change is an indirect cause, as it increases the
frequency and intensity of storms, particularly winter storms, which are the
main reason for massive strandings of seabirds,” said Jerome Fort, a scientist
from France’s National Center for Scientific Research.
Poisoning by micro plastics and chemical contamination can
also weaken the birds, and the fish they prey on have become rare and relocated
closer to shore due to climate change and overfishing, Fort added.
Guillemots cannot survive without food for two or three
days, as they have few energy reserves and need to feed almost constantly.
“In storms like we have seen recently, these birds find it
hard to feed properly and will die of exhaustion,” Fort said.
