Richard Collins: Islands seeing decline in number of seabirds

There were plenty of fulmars on the cliff-ledges of the Blaskets last week, but the waters off Inishnabro and Inishvickillane had fewer seabirds than I remember 30 years ago. With ocean temperatures rising, due to global warming, fish are moving to cooler waters and birds are following them.

About 400 grey seals dozed in the early morning sun on Great Blasket’s Trá Bán. The rón mór, once persecuted, is now thriving. Its story on the Blaskets, however, is not a very happy one. In November 2004 sixty seals, mostly pups, were shot, stoned to death, or had nails driven into their skulls. Then, in 2012, came another public relations disaster for the area. ‘Bloodied heads of young seals nailed to entrance of sanctuary’ ran the headline of Donal Hickey and John O’ Mahony’s piece in the Examiner on June 8 June that year. Grizzly photographs and TV footage went far and wide, tarnishing the image of Dingle, with its famous dolphin resident.