next threat to fish stocks?

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

BBC News - Who What Why: Why are there so many seagulls in cities?

Will seagulls moving in land be the next "threat" to fish stocks on rivers and lakes?

 

[Mr Cholmondeley-Corker (PaSC)]

I don't think so. The one's I've seen seem to prefer eating chips to fish.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

I think gulls tend to scavage a lot of their food but if they find an easy source of food they may well prove a problem

 

[chub_on_the_block]

Before the 2nd World War there used to be a massive roost of black headed gulls at Scoulton Mere in Norfolk - i think i read there were over a million birds at its peak. They moved inland to target sugar beet harvests and other farm wastes i think. The colony is now long gone and where it once existed is a reedmarsh. The birds were thought to have played a role in changing the Norfolk Broads due to enrichment from their dung. These days we have large numbers of canada and brent geese doing much the same. You still get large numbers of gulls at rubbish tips.

 

[peter crabtree]

Gulls don't hunt fish they scavenge. They will eat a dead or floating fish.
Terns however will take small fish or fry but only if they are in the surface layers.

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

that was my thoughts Peter that gull are scavagers but wasn't sure - hence the question about threat

 

[barbelboi]

Gulls don't hunt fish they scavenge. They will eat a dead or floating fish.
Terns however will take small fish or fry but only if they are in the surface layers.

Terns are also partial to pellets on the drop - quite comical watching various angler's netting techniques
Jerry

 

[no-one in particular]

I live at the seaside Lord and we have thousands of them, they wake me up at dawn every day, give me a crossbow and I would enjoy my mornings hanging out the window for an hour or two.
I have never seen a Herring Gull actually dive for fish or a Black Headed for that matter. There is a Tern colony near where I fish and I do see the occasional one with small fry in its beak as Peter said. However, Terns are far less common than Gulls and are quite a shy bird who nest far from humans mostly. I doubt they will adapt to human civilization as Gulls have done so, I doubt they will become a threat.

 

[Terry D]

I thought the next threat was angler's apathy! Oh sorry, we've had that all the time. Methinks they're getting sick of publishing that fact.

 

[Colin Brett]

We had a pair of Black headed Gulls taking silver fish from 2 of our club's lakes in the spring. The fish weren't floating dead on the top either, they were being picked off alive.
The number being taken was quite amazing.

 

[little oik]

Rubbish Tips in answer to your question .Years ago you only used to see them inland if "the weather was bad out to sea" they then found the smorgasbord of the local council rubbish tip and hey presto