In the coastal cities, the well-known city gulls such as the herring gull and black-backed gull are still holding up well, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the seagull is a seriously endangered species.
“It has never been seen before,” says Jan Seys of the Flanders Marine Institute. “In England, 70 percent of adult birds have died in certain seabird species. About half of other vulnerable species are involved. In our country, for example, with the sandwich tern, a lesser-known species, we also see mortality of up to 70 percent.”
