They are endangerd everywhere i think. I dont know why. There are a million of them in parking lots around here. I like to drive really fast across the parking lot and scare them. Everyonece and a whyle one gets stubborn and i turn it into a poof of feathers. I caught a Seagul about teh same way as you but my hook got caught with the shank in the birds moutha nd teh point of the hook wrapped around the back of its head. It would try to fly and i would act like im setting the hook to see if i could pull it out of its mouth. IM glad a seagul cant stand up to 50 pound line and a small tuna rod.