In Jersey, feeding wild birds carries a fine of up to £1,000 and, while there are signs warning people not to feed them, they tend to gather at cafes and parks where they know food is easy to come by.
Some parents, however, believe their numbers should be kept in check in built-up areas.
“My daughter last summer was eating an ice cream when a seagull came down and bit her finger while taking the ice cream away from her,” said Claire O’Connor.
“She’s quite nervous around seagulls now so if a seagull is near, she does panic a little bit.
“I wouldn’t say they’re endangered,” she said. “We have a lot of them. It would be nice to control them, just to keep parks safer, really.”