The government today announced that the autumn hunting season from land will start on 1 September and end on 31 January. The hunting season on the sea starts on 1 October and ends on the same date.
In a statement, parliamentary secretary Clint Camilleri hoped that hunters will sustain their hobby by following the law to the letter.
No irresponsible action will be tolerated and enforcement will be rigorous, the statement said.
Hunting can take place from two hours before sunrise to two hours after sunset between Monday and Saturday, and until 1pm on Sundays and public holidays. Hunting from land will not be allowed from 7pm onwards between 15 September and 7 October.
2018 could be the worst year for illegal hunting – BirdLife
Having almost doubled last year’s tally for illegally shot birds, 2018 could be the worst year for the illegal killing of protected birds, NGO BirdLife Malta declared today
BirdLife Malta has written to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, asking him to delay the start of the next hunting season until 15 October. This postponing of the season would be the only way the government could send out a clear message that flagrant abuse, such as the recent massacre of White Storks, will not be tolerated any longer, proclaimed BirdLife.
“If the government does not make the message clear as it did in 2015, then more birds are going to be needlessly killed.”
The request is also supported by several other eNGOs such as Flimkien Ghal Amjent Ahjar, Friends of the Earth Malta, Nature Trust-FEE Malta, Din l-Art Helwa, fish4tomorrow and Sharklab-Malta.
They encourage the authorities to take “concrete steps which would not only be visible but also executive”, particularly with the setting up of the Wildlife Crime Unit, a new team that has unanimous support of the Ornis Committee. This also asks the police to be more present and visible in Malta and Gozo’s countryside.
“Now is the time for the government to prove that it can be taken seriously when it says it will not tolerate the flagrant abuse of Malta’s environmental laws. It is also the time for the Maltese Government to declare its support to the absolute majority of Maltese citizens who are fed up with the illegal killing of protected birds.”
Last year had the highest casualty count with regards to known shot protected birds, with a total of 82 birds between January and December. Prior to this, the highest number of casualties was registered in 2013 with a total of 76 known shot protected birds, with the numbers of illegal hunting casualties decreasing over the next 3 years.
BirdLife also noted that should the number of protected birds shot between September and December this year be similar to the same period last year, it would mean that 2018 would be the worst year for illegal hunting.
They ended their statement by mentioning that, “ironically, the same year in which the Prime Minister promised a better scenario”.