Wildlife quango admits it's ‘difficult' to say if Inverness gull numbers falling - despite stricter culling licenses

Press and Journal

16-07-2025

The wildlife boss of Scotland's nature quango has admitted the number of gulls in Inverness may actually be increasing – even though culling licenses have been massively restricted.
Donald Fraser spoke exclusively to the Press and Journal as he responded to outrage over the government agency's controversial approach to managing bird numbers.
NatureScot has stopped regularly giving licenses to remove gull eggs before chicks are born, angering residents and businesses across the Highlands and Moray.
The wildlife quango says this has been done due to fears over a 'serious decline' in the population across Scotland.
But Mr Fraser confessed it's 'difficult' to say exactly whether this fall in gull numbers has been replicated in places like Inverness and Elgin.
'In national terms, we know there's decline,' he told the P&J.
'Drilling that down into particular areas and localities is quite difficult.
'It's wildlife we're dealing with, they're a transient species as well. Getting precise and accurate data is difficult.
'Getting absolute populations can be difficult.'
Mr Fraser said NatureScot is actively working with Highland Council to get a 'better handle' on 'issues' in Inverness and Nairn. Those concerns led to a full debate in Holyrood in June.
MSPs warn members of the public have been seriously injured due to the dive-bombing gulls.
Last July, a hockey club in Inverness shut after it was plagued by the swooping birds.
Signs in the city urge residents not to feed gulls and a falcon has even been deployed to scare them away.
Given all that, is Inverness bucking the trend of national decline?
'It is possible, in terms of increase in some localities,' Mr Fraser said.
In 2023, just two culling applications to preserve public safety were knocked back by NatureScot. A year later that shot up to 143 refusals.
Mr Fraser believes licensing should not be the priority, saying it is a 'sticking plaster'.
The NatureScot wildlife boss said: 'Controlling the population via licenses is probably not the endgame in itself.
'We find ourselves in a difficult place trying to balance conservation and the needs and demands of people.'
That will be unpopular with campaigning MSPs who say NatureScot must reverse course.
'For the first time NatureScot admit they just don't know what the real numbers are,' said Fergus Ewing, who represents Inverness and Nairn.
'They have repeatedly asserted that numbers are in decline.'
But Mr Ewing said they had been forced to admit it's 'untrue' to say this is definitely the case, especially in his own constituency.
The independent MSP claimed SNP agriculture minister Jim Fairlie had been 'duped'.
'He must now rein in this unaccountable quango,' Mr Ewing said.
'The chair of Nature Scotland should apologise for their long-standing false statements.
'They've been caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Are they big enough to apologise?'
The Scottish Government has promised to hold a summit on the gulls crisis later this year.
Mr Ewing said this must ensure 'people's views and concerns are acted on', and that 'simple, inexpensive, humane control measures are guaranteed'.
Highlands and Islands Tory MSP Douglas Ross said: 'NatureScot are a law unto themselves, making it up as they go.
'If this doesn't make ministers sit up and get a grip of the situation, nothing will.'
Responding, a NatureScot spokesperson said: 'National population data shows clear evidence of declines in gull species.
'The scientific evidence is robust, and no false statements have been made about population trends. We recognise that local experiences can differ from national patterns.
'Wild bird populations naturally fluctuate in response to changes in food sources and breeding areas, which can lead to higher concentrations in urban areas at certain times, even within an overall declining trend.'
SNP agriculture minister Mr Fairlie said: 'I sympathise with communities suffering from disruption and aggressive behaviour from gulls.
'In most cases, deterring seagulls from nesting outwith their natural habitat and removing food sources in urban areas is the most effective route to avoiding issues.
'In cases where it is justified NatureScot provides licences for control when public health and safety is at risk.'
Given local anger, does Mr Fraser feel like gulls get a bad reputation?
'Some of the language that's been used is quite emotive,' he said.
'I can see it from all perspectives. One person's menace is one person's joy.'