News

New Conservation project to protect nesting seabirds on the Great Saltee Island, Wexford

Date Released: Friday, August 1, 2025

  • Seabird Wardens appointed by NPWS to engage with visitors and protect seabirds during breeding season
  • Initiative aims to reduce disturbance caused through recreational activity and increased visitor numbers.  

Visitors to the Great Saltee Island are learning more about its birdlife through a new nature conservation project established by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS). For the first time, new Seabird Wardens have been appointed to engage with visitors travelling to the island this year. They will raise awareness about the diversity of breeding seabirds on the island, and how to protect their colonies in particular during breeding season. Located off the coast of County Wexford, the Saltee Islands are a European designated Special Protection Area (SPA) for ten species of breeding seabirds.

Minister for Housing, Heritage and Local Government, James Browne TD said:

“The seabird population is what makes a visit to the Great Saltee Island so special, and many of us travel there hoping to catch a glimpse of a puffin or a gannet.  But our seabirds are vulnerable to disturbance caused by us, especially as they pair up, nest and raise their young. These new Seabird Wardens are engaging with visitors, and helping us to learn more about our seabirds and how we can play our part in reducing disturbance to their sensitive breeding sites.

I would like to thank the landowners for their close co-operation with the National Parks and Wildlife Service and for facilitating this initiative.”

While there is no public access to the little Saltee, visitor numbers to the Great Saltee have increased in recent years. This has resulted in significant disturbance pressure to the nesting seabirds of Great Saltee. Puffins and Gannets are more accessible to people and are the most susceptible to being disturbed on their nest sites. Large volumes of people in close proximity to these birds can result in puffin burrows becoming blocked and inaccessible for activities such as incubating eggs and feeding.

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity Christopher O’Sullivan added:

“During the summer months we all like to get out and enjoy wildlife. It’s also important that we’re mindful of nesting seabirds during this time. By keeping our distance from them and their nests we can give our seabirds the best chance to survive and thrive. I encourage everyone to engage with the NPWS wardens and follow the guidance.”

Hazel Doyle, District Conservation Officer with the NPWS said:

“NPWS protects seabirds around the Saltee Islands through regulation, enforcement, monitoring and conservation projects. For example, a recent project to eradicate brown rats on the island has been very successful in eliminating the pressure of an invasive predator. However, now increased recreational visitor activity poses a further threat to them. Their breeding season is short, and allowing them to go about activities including courtship, egg-laying, incubating and chick-rearing during this time is vital for their success.

This project aims to reduce human disturbance to breeding seabirds through educating and encouraging visitors to keep their distance so that the seabirds on Great Saltee can breed successfully and their colonies are able to expand.”

Earlier this year NPWS appointed KRC Environmental Consultants to run the project. Wardens will be in place on the Great Saltee Island this year from May until the end of August. The project involves:

  • educating visitors about seabirds and their nesting and breeding habits,
  • raising awareness,
  • encouraging people to keep their distance and
  • using signage to keep people further back from the puffin and gannet colonies.

Hazel added:

“NPWS is asking visitors to the Great Saltee to follow the guidance from Seabird wardens and the signage in place, and to keep their distance from seabirds while they are on the island.

The seabird wardens are getting a very positive response from the public. Many visitors to the Great Saltee really appreciate wildlife, and are not aware of the impact of their own behaviour. Now visitors can enjoy the beauty on the island while prioritising the seabirds and wildlife of Great Saltee.”

Further Information

Breeding seabirds on the Great Saltee Island include puffin, gannet, guillemot, razorbill, fulmar, kittiwake, shag, cormorant, lesser black-backed gull and herring gull.  Seabirds that come to breed on Great Saltee spend around two-thirds of their year in the ocean, only coming back to land in spring to nest.