Vlissingen has made it illegal to feed gulls both on the seafront boulevard and in the city centre in an effort to stop the birds attacking people eating on the street or at tables.
“The more people feed the gulls, the more they will come and help themselves,” Vlissingen alderman Geoffrey Sips told local broadcaster Omroep Zeeland.
When herring gulls see a white plastic takeaway food tray or a sandwich, they associate it with food meant for them and fly down to help themselves, he said.
Locals confirmed that the gulls are a nuisance. “They love French fries and will just swoop down and grab them from your hands,” snack bar owner Barbara told the broadcaster.
“There is no way you can police this. So I don’t think I will work. We tell them not to feed the seagulls but they chuck the food and walk away,” she said. “We have tried everything.”
People won’t be fined for feeding the gulls at the moment and the measure is more about raising awareness. “If more people are told ‘you can’t feed the gulls’ and that limits the problem, then maybe there will be no need for fines,” Sips said.
