A new Offshore Nesting Bird Census (ONBC) has been initiated by the North Sea oil and gas industry to research how endangered seabirds use oil and gas platforms for nesting and rearing chicks.
The census which has been created by Dr MacNeill Ferguson an ecological specialist from energy consultants Xodus, will take place in June 2024.
Subsequent annual surveys will provide long-term data highlighting the extent to which birds are nesting offshore.
The initiative has been welcomed by the industry and is supported by the British government’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
Existing data has highlighted the prevalence of kittiwakes nesting on platforms in the southern North Sea, the area between Norfolk and the coast of Holland. However, other records have shown them nesting on platforms elsewhere off British coasts.
The population of these distinctive small gulls has declined by 40% in recent years, and they are now on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature red list meaning they are at risk of global extinction.
There is similar concern about razorbills, guillemots, herring gulls and even carrion crows which are also known to use offshore energy platforms to nest.
Much of the North Sea’s oil and gas infrastructure is now being decommissioned and dismantled as British fossil fuel resources decline.
Operators are legally obliged to avoid disturbance to nesting birds during this process and data from the survey will help inform decision making during decommissioning by providing up to date information as well as a unique scientific data source on sea bird behaviour.
It is hoped that all 24 Southern North Sea platform operators will take part.
Offshore Energies environment manager Caroline Brown said that “we are delighted to be involved in the ONBC, which we hope will become an annual exercise”.
“Some British seabirds are facing a significant decline in numbers, and it is vital to have a better understanding of their nesting behaviour in order to help protect them. We are confident the aims of this important survey will appeal to our offshore workforce and have a significant value to scientists,” she said.
Dr MacNeill Ferguson said that “there is a real opportunity here for operators to work collaboratively on a project”.
“Sharing ecological data aids planning and benefits the environment through ecologically coherent decision making. It also provides an opportunity for operators who protect and monitor the birds to record a biodiversity net gain from their presence in the North Sea,” he said.
