Labour Inverness Central councillor Michael Gregson described the urban gull population as an “epidemic” that had “colonised our city”.
Highland Alliance Inverness South councillor Duncan McPherson claimed the 32 to 35-year lifespan of the birds was a “prison sentence” for the residents.
He asked: “Do the gulls have the vote and do the gulls pay business rates?
“Because it would appear that the gulls are being treated better than the people of this area.”
Inverness Business Improvement District (Bid) previously oversaw a programme of egg and nest removal in the city centre to reduce the population.
But it pulled out of the programme earlier this year due to a lack of funding.
McPherson praised the work previously done by Inverness Bid, and said the new plans did not go far enough.
Council officials said egg and nest removals were not “off the cards” under the proposals, but added that the birds’ behaviour had changed over time, so a new approach was required.