Namibia's sardine (pilchard) fish stocks have been in a critical state of depletion since long before the Fishrot scandal rocked the country. This disaster for the fisheries sector could have been avoided if we had paid attention to the plight of our indigenous seabirds. A recent article by Robert Crawford and colleagues, published in the Namibian Journal of the Environment, reveals how four seabird species have navigated their hunger and what we need to do to restore our marine fisheries. Seabirds can tell us a lot about the health of our marine fisheries, if we are willing to listen.