Dozens of marine zones vital to the survival of seabird species have been identified by conservationists.

More than 70 areas where nationally important populations of seabirds can be found were pinpointed in a report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Specially protected areas are needed in almost a third of national waters but in Britain less than one in every 100,000 square miles has protection, the report said.

Among the seabirds most in need of protection are roseate terns and kittiwakes, which are in sharp decline, the Arctic skua, which is threatened by climate change, and black guillemots, which have just one breeding site left in England.

Labour made a Marine Bill a manifesto pledge but the draft legislation has been held up amid wranglings between Whitehall and the Scottish Executive over who is responsible for coastal waters and when developments, such as wind farms and oil extraction, should be restricted.

In its report, Safeguarding Our Seabirds: Marine Protected Areas for the UK’s Seabirds, RSPB researchers identified 71 sites they consider to be most obviously in need of legal protection.

While the bird populations highlighted in the report had a land base, usually for breeding, the creatures were dependent on the sea.

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