The FKNK (Hunters and Trappers Federation) has declared that there are thousands of hunters and trappers in Malta and Gozo. That surely is a mass of hunters on such small islands. Is there no limitation to how many that can have a licence to engage in this activity?

Does the FKNK expect the government to hire more law enforcement officers at taxpayer expense to enforce the regulations of this activity? I have not seen any indication that the FKNK will report or enforce the rules outlined in the past or at the present. With the so called thousands of hunters they claim, the hunters must be in very close proximity to those who hunt illegally.

The FKNK claims that the hunters who practise the hobby illegally have some kind of protection. This is true, they have protection from other FKNK hunters. A member would never report a fellow hunter as the reputation of the reporting hunter would be tarnished forever in many ways.

Will the FKNK help bring their fellow hunters to justice?

The government, such as the office of the Environment Minister, is not ignorant of all the factors that play into this situation. The organization BirdLife has a vaster knowledge of bird habits in Malta and Gozo than the FKNK. FKNK knowledge of bird habits is only derived from the predators’ view point. The government has the right to view all aspects of bird hunting control without the insults provided by FKNK.

Whatever the FKNK declares, it cannot be trusted.

Jonas Thor Arthursson

Reykjavik, Iceland