Duchas, the heritage service, is considering putting herring gulls on its endangered species list because of its rapidly declining population.
The numbers of this species of seagull, larus argentatus, have dropped drastically along the east coast in particular, and much of the blame is attributed to high levels of botulism in dumps and landfill sites where the herring gull often feeds.
Mr Brendan Price, director of the Irish Seal Sanctuary, said herring gulls were plentiful in the west but were regarded almost as a pest along the east coast.
The herring gull population "has crashed completely", said Mr Price.
The gulls are feeding off dumps and breaking open plastic bags whose festering contents are "a breeding house for botulism".
He added that "the herring gull is a key species that was once plentiful but is now endangered because of our waste".
Ironically, the population had initially increased greatly because of humans and increased dumping and landfill sites. These sites, however, are now contributing to a decimation of the population because of the incidence of botulism.
The gull, usually plentiful in harbours, beaches and near fishing vessels as well as dumps, is a largish, almost pheasant-size bird, with grey plumage on its back, white on its front, and a bright yellow beak which when feeding its young has a rosey pink tip.
The population of greater and lesser black-backed gulls has been slightly affected, but their feeding habits are more wide-ranging and they are less likely to feed at dumps and landfill sites, and thus less likely to contract botulism.
Mr Price said there "is a need for a far greater response from the general public to cleaning up their own environment". He said that environmentally there was "huge awareness but no action".
It is understood that Dúchas, which has a national parks and wildlife division, is considering putting the species on the "red data lists" drawn up by the UN for vulnerable species.
The heritage service monitors all wild bird numbers including herring gulls, and established population trends are considered in its ongoing review.
