This September's turtle dove hunting season was brought to a close, 19 days earlier than expected, as the national bag quota of 500 turtle doves established by law has been reached, the Federation for Hunting and Conservation - Malta (FKNK) has said.

"This was communicated by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) to licensed hunters via SMS."
 
"This does not mean that hunters can no longer hunt this September. However, it means that contrary to what the European Commission (EC) is saying, turtle doves in the wild are on the increase. This is clearer from the fact that in the September 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons, the national bag of turtle doves in Malta never exceeded 300 birds. Therefore, and among other valid reasons, that is why the law established the national bag quota of 500, a quota regarding which FKNK has publicly expressed reservations," the FKNK said.
 
The FKNK thanked Minister Clint Camilleri and the WBRU "for their firm stance against the EC which wanted a total ban on turtle dove hunting in Europe."
 
"Finally, and as a result of this situation, the FKNK will continue to work harder to reinstate the socio-cultural tradition of spring turtle dove hunting and trapping. This is a right of Maltese and Gozitan hunters and trappers which was established by the Court of Justice of Europe in 2009 and by the Abrogative and Direct Referendum in 2015."

Posting on Facebook, BirdLife Malta said: "We remind everyone that the autumn hunting season still runs until the end of January 2022 but shooting of Turtle-dove is now prohibited. So anyone seen hunting Turtle-doves from now on would be breaking the law. We reiterate our call on the general public to continue monitoring illegalities and report any incidents or suspected illegality to BirdLife Malta and police."