CONCERNS are growing about increasing number of seabirds dying from suspected bird flu.
There have been reports of dead gannets and other seabirds being spotted on beaches in Northumberland.
It follows outbreaks in Scotland, where thousands of dead or dying seabirds have been reported.
The Department for environment, food and rural affairs (Defra) says it will not comment on individual cases but added it is aware of a number of wild bird deaths reported from several places, which are currently under investigation as part of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) on-going wild bird surveillance programme.
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People are being urged to report dead or sick birds to Defra but should not touch them.
Katie-Jo Luxton, the RSPB’s director of conservation said “Our seabird populations have halved since the 1980s. Now, a highly mutable and deadly new form of avian influenza, which originated in poultry, is killing our wild seabirds in large numbers. We urge UK governments to develop a response plan urgently – to coordinate surveillance and testing, disturbance minimisation, carcass disposal and biosecurity.
“In the longer term, we urge much higher importance be given to prioritising and funding seabird conservation, so we help make our seabird populations more resilient to these diseases alongside other pressures.”
The impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) on wild birds is intensifying quickly in Scotland, the RSPB says, with thousands of dead or dying seabirds reported.
Shetland appears to be the most heavily affected, but there are increasing numbers of reports from many of Scotland’s islands and coastlines as well as and presumed cases appearing in England.
As reports increase, the number of species affected also appears to be increasing.
There have been reports of widespread deaths at great skua colonies in Shetland, Fair Isle, Orkney, the Western Isles, Handa, the Flannan Isles and St Kilda.
As well as widespread reports of sick and dead gannets at key colonies – most notably Noss in Shetland but also Troup Head in North East Scotland, Bass Rock in the Firth of Forth and elsewhere.
One Northern Echo reader reported seeing two dead gannets within 100m of each other at Druridge Bay in Northumberland.
Others have taken to social media to report increased numbers of dead birds in the area.
One person said they had seen in the region of 30 dead gannets on four Northumberland beach since Saturday.
Another counted more than a dozen between Craster and Bamburgh this week.
Two dead gannets were spotted at Longsands, in Tynemouth.
Ms Luxton said: “Britain's seabird populations are of global significance. The UK holds 56 per cent of the worlds gannet population and Scotland has 60 per cent of the world’s great skuas. Both these species are amber listed.
"Our seabirds are already under massive pressure from human impacts including climate change, lack of prey fish, deaths through entanglement in fishing gear and development pressure. There is now great concern for the impacts of bird flu on our already beleaguered wild birds.”
The RSPB has said members of the public should not touch dead or sick birds. Instead, people are asked to report them as soon as possible to the Defra helpline on 03459 33 55 77.
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Defra says the APHA will collect a small number of dead birds as part its surveillance programme.
Where dead birds are not required for surveillance purposes it is the landowner’s responsibility to safely dispose of the carcases as animal by-products, the Government says. Where dead birds are on public land, it is the local authority’s responsibility to safely dispose of the carcases as animal by-products.
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