The government has decided to accept the Ornis Committee’s recommendation to open the Spring Hunting season for quail, it said in a statement.

The season will run from 10 April to 30 April, from two hours before sunrise until noon, including on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays

The national quota for this season is 2,400 quail, and there will be no individual quota, the government said.

“Quail hunting is in itself a solitary activity. All directives that have been or will be issued by the health authorities are applicable to everyone, including hunters.”

The government appealed for only quails to be shot and for everyone to follow the law.

The spring hunting season has been a controversial point over the past years, with NGOs such as BirdLife Malta constantly highlighting the number of protected birds shot each year.