A rat eradication project on St Agnes and Gugh in the Isles of Scilly began in 2013 after invasive brown rats were found to be threatening nesting seabirds. The islands have remained rat-free since the operation, while Manx shearwater breeding numbers have increased from 22 pairs before eradication to 225 apparently occupied breeding sites recorded in 2025.
A rat eradication project on St Agnes and Gugh in the Isles of Scilly began in 2013 after invasive brown rats were found to be threatening nesting seabirds. The islands have remained rat-free since the operation, while Manx shearwater breeding numbers have increased from 22 pairs before eradication to 225 apparently occupied breeding sites recorded in 2025.
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