Most of the seabirds depend on sand eels - which used to shoal in vast numbers.

Shetland fishermen have stopped catching them, but scientists believe climate change could be to blame for their continued decline, which is causing the birds to starve.

Lower fish numbers lead to lower numbers of adult birds surviving from one year to the next, and not enough chicks being produced and surviving to replace them.

Sea temperatures have risen by up to two degrees in the past 20 years and that may be causing the sand eels and the plankton on which they depend to move to cooler waters.

Very sad. Thank you for posting.

Humans can live without seafood, sea birds cannot.