Funny first video clip of two juvenile puffins being juvenile as they horse around; their parents looking away in puffin-like exasperation - though that exasperated look seems permanent!
The rest of the story is depressing.
I wonder if puffin meat tastes like chicken, in which case sustainable chicken meat should be served to the tourists instead.
3
So in the face of climate change that reduces the fish they eat, why is hunting still allowed at all? If one of the factors that affect the bird populations is improved, surely that is the thing to do. Are cultural traditions that destroy wildlife worth keeping. NO.
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Well, another article in the Times that suggests -- with little data -- CC is the culprit in yet another ongoing disaster. Last year we learned hurricanes will increase in frequency/intensity -- -- because of CC & storms like Harvey were going to be the new normal, etc. And yet, here it is the end of August and where are the canes? It is very likely this August will be one of the few on record where no hurricanes formed in the Atlantic. How is that possible? Here's a hint -- the number of storms and where the hit vary from year to year and decade to decade.
So let's get to the Puffins. Puffins are cool -- but I don't find the "evidence" presented here convincing that CC is the culprit in the population decline. There are a number of factors that could play a part in the reduction of the Icelandic Puffin population. Before a scientist attributes a change in natural phenomena to any single factor they must control for other factors. Clearly, natural temp variation is a factor. Over hunting may be another. And if there has been a reduction in Puffin food sources we need to understand what caused that.
Hindering all that is the quality of the data. How many temp collection stations have been in place in Iceland -- here's a hint -- not many, not for long and all on the coast. How long have scientists been tracking Puffin populations and how far they hunt as well as the availability of food sources? Are sandeels their only food source? No. So, nice try.
You need to reread the article again. The article didn't say CC was the culprit. It said there are many culprits. Here is the quote:
"The potential culprits are many: fickle prey, overfishing, pollution. Scientists say that climate change is another underlying factor that is diminishing food supplies and is likely to become more important over time. And the fact that puffins are tasty, and thus hunted as game here, hardly helps."
The article suggests that CC is another underlying factor. Culprit? No.
So nice try.
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You've got to be kidding. From the decline of tuna to disappearing tigers to the oceans filling with plastic to the hottest years ever recorded there is overwhelming evidence that human activity (not just GW) is causing the collapse of the natural systems that all life depends on. Puffins are just a charismatic representative of this. Choose to ignore it if it suits your agenda, but the natural world cannot, and sooner than later neither will we.
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Part of me wants to care; I don't like seeing species die out. But then another part of me realized that I hadn't even thought of puffins in who knows how long.
I guess that's the difficulty for conservationists. We all profess to enjoy animals but most of them have no bearing on our own lives and goals even if we make it a mission to try to live sustainably in our urban environments.
If puffins died out completely tomorrow and one of these puffin hunters took the last one, I doubt I'd give it much thought except calling it a shame.
We're the most important species and members of that species that ever lived- so why, indeed, should we care.
2
“Annette Fayet is trying to solve the mystery of the dwindling Atlantic puffins” meanwhile, “Dr. Hansen encountered jovial hunters, (such as Hedinn Jonasson, with his catch of puffins on Lundley Island) who had killed hundreds of the birds and were carrying them toward their boats to be sold to restaurants that mainly serve the meat to curious tourists.”
I found watching the video clips of these enchanting creatures so enduring, much like some of the clips I’ve seen in the past of baby seals. And then I saw the two photos of dead puffins, especially the one of Hedinn Jonasson who looks pretty darn proud and happy about his kill, and I just lost it. I could not stop the tears.
Why must humans destroy every beautiful living creature they come in contact with? Killing these beautiful birds simply to make money by selling the meat to restaurants because of a curious tourist demand. I knew it was a mistake to view this article because I would end up feeling haunted for a spell, but I found it equally important that the NYT report these stories in hopes an attitude shift could help change or alter the present mindset.
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I also wish that Iceland (& Norway & Japan) would stop killing whales to eat.
10
Thank you for this excellent story about the Icelandic puffins. I enjoyed the video clips as well.
5
The world will be a lonely place when human greed has wiped out all the beautiful wild places and wild animals. I'm not talking about only the people who hunt and eat puffins. I'm talking about our love affairs with all the things causing climate change.
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When is the rest of the world going to come around to the Republican Party's position on climate change? Let's go over it again: If you simply deny a problem exists, eventually it will go away by itself.
Problem solved: GOP.
5
Leave the Icelanders alone - they don't appear to be the cause of the population decline, yet everyone posting here zero's in on how nasty it is to eat such a cute bird. Nowhere in the article is there a statement of how many birds they take for consumption, but I doubt it is anywhere near what the population decline is.
Some people think cows are sacred, yet how many people are willing to give up their burgers?
We dine on animal protein based on what we were raised eating. Who are we to put down others based on their heritage foods?
2
It's true that people tend to dine on animal protein based on what they are raised eating. But for one thing, cows are not an endangered species. There are Icelandic people, even puffin hunters, that acknowledge the fact that the level of harvesting of these birds that takes place is a significant factor in their decline. Since Iceland cashes in on tourism, which these "cute little birds" contribute greatly to, perhaps they should rethink their consumption patterns and cultural traditions. Once the puffins are gone, so will the cultural traditions around them.
20
How can a country that is supposedly as advanced as Iceland still hunt puffins and endangered fin whales? These amazing creatures are having a hard enough time surviving because of overfishing, climate change, and pollution. Why does this country continue to slaughter them instead of trying to protect them?
15
Why are puffins vanishing? Uh, because men are hunting and killing them. The hunter in the photo didn't seem to have any trouble finding puffins. Do tourists, or anyone else for that matter, really need to experience what it's like to eat a puffin? C'mon! These birds should be protected by our insatiable human appetite to ruin everything on this beautiful planet.
16
My daughter’s favorite chicken was killed yesterday by a hawk. She cried heavily. She wished one of the roosters was killed instead. Just let some local kids name some of these birds and tag them, then when this jerk with the net captures and kills them, have him present the bird to the child and video tape the reaction. Problem solved.
5
Only when puffins are of more value to see alive than to eat will Icelanders change. The country is very dependent on tourism. When we visited, we were disappointed to see puffins on the menu at restaurants in popular tourist destinations.
15
It is shocking to many of us to hear of Icelanders eating Puffins, just like people in Mediterranean countries trap and eat endangered wild songbirds. How do you effectively change these cultural traditions?
13
On a planet that is being used to grow ever more humans and sustain their lifestyle, it is surprising any other creatures (besides the ones we eat) are left. Anything that depends on the natural environment is probably doomed unless we control our numbers. There are only so many resources on earth. If they are used to produce billions of people ( with the accompanying GW effects), they will not be available for any other creatures, it's just that simple.
4
The sound track doesn't seem right. Puffins don't make transit equipment noises.
1
Just beautiful. At least there are people who care.
2
A friend of mine went to Iceland and she said puffins are on the menus of every restaurant she went to. This all comes back to human behavior. We are the problem.
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Can't they leave these birds alone.. They are so beautiful to watch. Why does everything have to be ruined ?
21
I saw these adorable and funny birds in the Shetland Islands this May, and it's quite sad to see hunted and eaten as well as declining in numbers. Of course, global warming is also doing damage. I fear for their future, as well as ours.
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