Ocean City Mayor: Stop Feeding 'Very Aggressive' Seagulls

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Resist the urge to feed the sea gulls, Mayor Jay A. Gillian said Friday. Ocean City's mayor said in his weekly update that the gulls have "become very aggressive and pose a public safety hazard."

Feeding gulls and wildlife in Ocean City is against the law. It's best to stop this for the health and safety of animals and humans, Gillian said.

You should also protect your food from them, Gillian said. He urged boardwalk merchants to provide enclosed containers for customers getting takeout. Gillian also told parents to stay alert when their children carry food.

"The administration will work with boardwalk merchants to explore the feasibility of netting, noise and other ways to prevent them from pilfering food," Gillian said. "Please understand that you can’t hit them or throw things at them. But you can help by keeping food away from them."

Gillian also reminded folks not to place recyclables in plastic bags. Place your bottles, cans and other recyclables directly into the labeled containers at curbside.

"With new guests in town each week, it’s important to keep getting the word out that plastic bags will cause entire truckloads of recyclable material to be diverted to landfills — at a cost to taxpayers and the environment," Gillian said.

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