Porto Metropolitan Area launches tender to keep seagulls under control

The public tender for the preparation of the Action Plan to control seagull population in Municipal Coastal Areas was published on 28th July 2020 in the Official Gazette. The tender's base value is 135 thousand euros and foresees a delivery period of 12 months.

Propositions should be submitted within ten days. 

The proposition, published in the National Official Journal reads "the Action Plan should enable monitoring the Seagull population" that are adapted to living in "town's coastal zones, especially "in the coastal Municipalities of Porto Metropolitan area. This Action Plan should help "monitor the seagull population (Larus fuscus and Larus michahellis) evaluate their reproduction habits and movement patterns in this territory".

Besides, "there should be pilot test in situ and awareness raising campaigns to the general population".

It should be recalled that in May 2019 the Municipalities of Porto, Vila do Conde, Póvoa de Varzim, Matosinhos, Espinho and Vila Nova de Gaia decided to advance an Action Plan to keep control of the seagull population.

"Seagulls are a public health problem and this is a matter of urgency, as public safety is at stake. The proliferation of seagulls is reaching enormous proportion. We must act rapidly. And if at this point, only coastal cities act, sooner or later other cities will have to act as well" as explained by Eduardo Vítor Rodrigues President of Porto Metropolitan Area (AMP), on that occasion.

"This plan does not include any strategy regarding poison. The public space is safeguarded. This is an all-in-one solution. It would make no sense to act in Póvoa de Varzim and leave Vila do Conde out, or even not including Gaia or the other municipalities", the responsible furthered.

In October 2019, the Porto Metropolitan Council (CmP) approved the cooperation protocol and the financial contribution with the Municipalities of Matosinhos, Porto, Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde and Vila Nova de Gaia toward the elaboration of an "Action Plan for Seagull population control in the coastal zone".

The associated costs were taken by these five municipalities, but the protocol was open to all municipalities that wished to join.