ADVENTURER0:

Recently, biologists monitoring a colony of seabirds on the east coast of Scotland noticed a strange and terrible thing: infanticide. The guillemot is one of the toughest seabirds in the world. However, due to the changing environment in which they live, they now can’t find enough fish to feed their family. The birds only have one chick every year. Usually, one of the parents hunts for fish, while the other stays on the cliff to protect the chick.

Recently, biologists monitoring a colony of seabirds on the east coast of Scotland noticed a strange and terrible thing: infanticide. The guillemot is one of the toughest seabirds in the world. However, due to the changing environment in which they live, they now can’t find enough fish to feed their family. The birds only have one chick every year. Usually, one of the parents hunts for fish, while the other stays on the cliff to protect the chick.
ADVENTURER1:

However, due to the lack of fish, increasingly both parents have had to go out looking for food. Consequently, the hungry baby has no parents to look after it. The chick goes to other families to look for food. The other birds, who don’t have enough food themselves, then attack and kill the chick. Biologists have never seen this kind of behavior before, and are extremely worried about this total breakdown in the community of these birds.

However, due to the lack of fish, increasingly both parents have had to go out looking for food. Consequently, the hungry baby has no parents to look after it. The chick goes to other families to look for food. The other birds, who don’t have enough food themselves, then attack and kill the chick. Biologists have never seen this kind of behavior before, and are extremely worried about this total breakdown in the community of these birds.
ADVENTURER2:

But the real question is: what’s causing the birds to commit infanticide? The birds are reacting to the changes in their ecosystem. An ecosystem is all the living things in an area and the way in which they affect each other. In an ecosystem, everything is connected. The life or death of the smallest insect has an effect on the life of the biggest mammal.

But the real question is: what’s causing the birds to commit infanticide? The birds are reacting to the changes in their ecosystem. An ecosystem is all the living things in an area and the way in which they affect each other. In an ecosystem, everything is connected. The life or death of the smallest insect has an effect on the life of the biggest mammal.
ADVENTURER3:

Looking at it this way, we can see the problem that the hungry seabirds are facing: their ecosystem has changed, and there just aren’t enough fish in the sea. For decades, the numbers of fish in the North Sea have been declining due to over-fishing. As you can see, over a ten-year period, the numbers of different fish in the North Sea have fluctuated, but the overall trend is downwards. Look at ‘cod’. In 1998,, fishermen were allowed to catch almost 60 000 tons; only ten years later this has fallen dramatically to under 10 000.. Why?

Looking at it this way, we can see the problem that the hungry seabirds are facing: their ecosystem has changed, and there just aren’t enough fish in the sea. For decades, the numbers of fish in the North Sea have been declining due to over-fishing. As you can see, over a ten-year period, the numbers of different fish in the North Sea have fluctuated, but the overall trend is downwards. Look at ‘cod’. In 1998, fishermen were allowed to catch almost 60 000 tons; only ten years later this has fallen dramatically to under 10 000. Why?
ADVENTURER4:

Because there’s hardly any left. The second problem is that, not only are we taking too many fish from the sea, our methods are wrong. Do you know that every year, in the North Sea, over 7000 dolphins and porpoises are caught and die in fishing nets? Soon, this sight will no longer be seen in the North Sea due to the way we catch fish. As a result of human consumption, the numbers of fish in the sea are decreasing alarmingly.

Because there’s hardly any left. The second problem is that, not only are we taking too many fish from the sea, our methods are wrong. Do you know that every year, in the North Sea, over 7000 dolphins and porpoises are caught and die in fishing nets? Soon, this sight will no longer be seen in the North Sea due to the way we catch fish. As a result of human consumption, the numbers of fish in the sea are decreasing alarmingly.
ADVENTURER5:

If we don’t readdress this issue, there may come a time when there are no fish left in the sea whatsoever. If we don’t look after our environment, then our environment will no longer look after us. We’ve seen what the destruction of their ecosystem has done to the society of guillemots; what will happen to our society if we continue to destroy our own?

If we don’t readdress this issue, there may come a time when there are no fish left in the sea whatsoever. If we don’t look after our environment, then our environment will no longer look after us. We’ve seen what the destruction of their ecosystem has done to the society of guillemots; what will happen to our society if we continue to destroy our own?