Experts in ornithology have questioned posters telling beachgoers in Scotland not to feed seagulls because “bird excrement contributes to water contamination”
The signs are part of the My Beach Your Beach campaign by Keep Scotland Beautiful.
It stated that it targeted beaches with “problematic bathing water quality.”
However, RSPB Scotland and the British Trust for Ornithology stated that they did not endorse the posters’ content.
Seven beaches in Ayr, Troon, Irvine, Saltcoats, Kinghorn, Portobello, and Fisherrow have been marked with signage.
The conservation organization RSPB Scotland informed that seabird droppings, often known as guano, are vital nutrient sources for marine organisms such as phytoplankton.
A spokesman for the RSPB stated that herring gulls have dropped by more than 50 percent since 1970 and continue to fare poorly with other seabirds due to alterations in natural food sources.
She stated, “Gulls require our assistance, or at least our tolerance, as all breeding species in the United Kingdom are of conservation concern, with several in grave peril.
Gulls have traditionally inhabited our shores; we may assist them by learning to coexist with them.
She stated that guano carried phosphate and nitrogen, “which promote the growth of phytoplankton, which in turn supports a range of marine animals, from snails to fish that humans consume.”
She said that feeding gulls in urban areas, such as Portobello Beach, was discouraged since it could encourage gulls to beg, swoop for, or steal food from humans.
However, she stated that the organization did not endorse the notion that seabirds poisoned the ocean because droppings are a natural part of the cycle.
Portobello beach, where one of the posters is displayed on a giant garbage bin, is on the Firth of Forth, where the Bass Rock is home to the largest gannet colony in the world.
The British Trust for Ornithology’s Dr. Viola Ross-Smith, who holds a Ph.D. in gulls, told that she disagreed with the message on the posters.
“I disagree with this message,” she remarked.
“Herring gulls weigh around a kilogram, and their feces are quite small and harmless compared to the amount of sewage and wet wipes we dump into the ocean.
We are the ones that have the most impact on our ecosystem, not seabirds.
Edinburgh’s sewers
Scottish Water discharges treated sewage into the estuary of the Firth of Forth via pipes.
Before 1998, the Gardyloo boat was utilized to transfer and dump treated sewage into the Forth.
Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works is the largest facility that empties into the Firth of Forth, supplying over 800,000 residential premises.
Each day, it treats the equivalent of 120 Olympic-sized swimming pools’ worth of wastewater.
By Sepa rules, the waste is treated to a high standard through several processes before the final effluent is released back into the environment.
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Since 2018, the My Beach Your Beach campaign has aimed to increase awareness and encourage beachgoers to alter their behavior.
Other campaign posters address dog feces, trash, feeding gulls, and the disposal of fats, oils, and greases.
A spokesperson for Keep Scotland Beautiful stated, “It has been determined that gull and dog feces contribute to bathing water contamination and can impact bathing water classifications.”
The Scottish government, the City of Edinburgh Council, and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency support the charity’s poster campaign (Sepa).
Mark Lewis, birding and science officer for the Scottish Ornithologists’ Club, was astonished by the content on the posters.
He said, “It’s a little unusual that seabirds will defecate whether or not we feed them.
In addition, they are feeding their young at this time of year, thus they are more interested in obtaining natural gull food, such as little prawns and crabs.
Sepa reported that microbial DNA source monitoring at Portobello beach revealed indications of human, canine, and seagull sources influencing water quality.
“The germs that can cause poor water quality in permitted bathing waters come from the stomachs of any warm-blooded animal, including humans, livestock, gulls, dogs, and other waterfowl,” stated a Scottish government spokesman.
“Sepa monitoring has determined that gull and dog feces contribute to poor water quality in some swimming areas.”
Scott Arthur, the environment convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, stated, “We have supported the Keep Scotland Beautiful #mybeachyourbeach campaign for several years, and we encourage any attempts to keep our beaches and bathing water clean.
Additionally, we collaborate with Scottish Water and Sepa to limit sewage spills along our coasts and waterways.
