A leading conservationist has warned that the “catastrophic losses” of seabirds are crippling the tourism and fishing industry of the Scottish isles.
Uwe Stoneman of the RSPB claims birds such as the Kittiwake are now “practically extinct” on Orkney and that, as a result, the island’s culture has been changed dramatically.
Seabirds are a major tourist attraction for the islands, drawing bird watchers from all around the world. They also help fishermen, who use the birds to lead them to their catch.
Mr Stoneman has now set up the Orkney Seabird Heritage Project to discover how much the decline of seabirds is affecting the island’s economy and culture.
He said: “The project aims to document current and historic signs of people’s cultural and personal relationship with seabirds on Orkney and document their reaction to the current seabird decline.
“One such species is the Kittiwake which formerly had a population of tens of thousands in Orkney and now you’ll be lucky to see one or two. It has become practically extinct as a breeding species.”
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