With their bright, orange feet and colourful beaks full of glistening fish, puffins are really charismatic seabirds. But puffin populations are in decline, largely due to their struggle to catch enough of these shiny fish: sandeels.

Sandeels have been industrially fished on an industrial scale since the 1950s, not for human consumption but to make fishmeal. They are the bedrock of marine ecosystems in the North Sea. But a new fishing ban could provide welcome respite for puffins and other marine wildlife.

The UK and Scottish governments have announced a permanent end to industrial sandeel fishing in English and Scottish waters. This ban will begin on April 1 – the start of this year’s sandeel fishing season.