Matsushima Bans Seagull Feeding To Save Islet Pines

Above, a passenger on a Matsushima cruise boat feeding gulls. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Back in 2006, I went to Matsushima Bay to see the spot where my dad had his picture taken in front of the Godaido Temple in 1951, just before he was sent over to Korea.

While there, I took a boat cruise that circled around the many islets in Matsushima Bay. During the cruise, we were entertained (and overwhelmed) by many of the bay's seagulls begging for food from the passengers. The birds were quite aggressive and would take food from the passengers' hands.

The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun) reported that a ban on feeding the gulls is now in place as their droppings may be endangering the pine trees that grow on the islets.

They wrote:

Feeding black-tailed gulls has been a popular activity on the sightseeing boats that cruise around the Matsushima islets, considered to be one of the three most beautiful spots in Japan, but local authorities banned the practice this month in a bid to protect the islets’ famous pine trees from withering as a result of nitrogen in the droppings of the gulls, who have bred in large numbers in the area. 

Tourists who looked forward to feeding the birds have expressed disappointment, but the government of Matsushima, Miyagi Prefecture, has called for visitors’ understanding, saying it is the pine trees that make Matsushima (literally, pine island) what it is.

Above, some of the islets of Matsushima Bay. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The ban on gull feeding will have a duration of one year. Gull-feeding or no gull-feeding, a visit to Matsushima Bay is one I recommend. Matsushima Bay is often compared to Carmel, California for its scenic beauty.

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