According to the last estimation (in 2005) 5 million seabirds, consisting of 21 species, are found within the ecoregion. Continuous monitoring schemes exist for six species (common guillemot, black-legged kittiwake, northern fulmar, Atlantic puffin [Fratercula arctica], Northern gannet, Arctic tern [Sterna paradisaea]). Knowledge on the remaining 15 species is limited.
Multi-annual variability in the abundances of guillemots, kittiwakes, and fulmars in the time‑series (see figure 10) is associated with Subpolar Gyre dynamics, net primary production, and juvenile fish abundance on the Faroes Shelf. The exact mechanisms are unknown.
The number of seabirds in the Faroes has declined substantially since the 1950s. For example, the number of common guillemots has declined by ca. 66% since the 1970s (the last nation-wide census was in the period 2010–2014), including an observed decline in the main monitoring site Høvdin (Skúvoy; see figure 10). Prior to 2011, numbers of both northern fulmar and black‑legged kittiwake declined at Høvdin; after 2011, they both increased in numbers up to 2014 and 2017 respectively.
ICES considers that black-legged kittiwake, razorbill (Alca torda), and puffins are among the seabird species of conservation concern with potential risk of bycatch on the region.
