CHAPTER 10
The Clash
Seabird Interactions with People – Past, Present and Future
Despite their truly remarkable ability to forge a living at sea, whether
in sight of land or at an immense distance over the horizon, seabirds are
not thriving globally. They are arguably the most threatened group of
birds, because of a combination of hazards met ashore during breeding
and perils encountered at sea.
Ashore, seabirds have been harvested by people since time immemo-
rial. Colonies have offered a bonanza of flesh, feathers, and eggs that has
proven irresistible to communities living near the coast. Think of the
iconic photographs, from a century ago, of the bearded menfolk of St
Kilda in solemn contemplation of a pile of fulmar corpses.^1 While such