Kurt Sansone
Whose 'limits' on spring hunting?
Photo: Chris Sant Fournier.
The word "limited" conjures up different images in the mind of hunters and bird lovers. Kurt Sansone tries to find out what it could mean.
Hunters are ready to forego March and accept April as the start of the hunting season in a bid to satisfy the decision of the European Court of Justice last year, which left the door ajar for "limited" hunting in spring.
From a traditional 56-day season, the hunters' federation (FKNK) is willing to accept a shortened time window along with other conditions that would ensure hunters get to shoot at turtle dove and quail in the spring.
FKNK secretary Lino Farrugia did not reveal the details of the list of proposals, drawn up by his organisation, which forms the basis of talks between hunters and the government.
"The hunting season could be much shorter," he says, without defining the length of the proposed season, adding hunters could do without March.
But the proposal is not the only one hunters are submitting. Mr Farrugia says the federation is also proposing bag limits, which would establish the maximum number of birds a hunter can shoot every day.
Once again, he avoids detail but insists the limit does not imply each hunter would shoot the established amount every day.
"The bag limit is there to limit the number of birds shot on a particularly good day. Bird migration over Malta is quite erratic and hunters can go for days without a bird in sight," he says, insisting opening the hunting season on alternate days is not an option.
The proposals are intended to define the words "limited spring hunting", which the ECJ ruling did not do.
Europe's high court had said the autumn season in Malta was not a satisfactory alternative for spring hunting of quail and turtle dove. This was interpreted by the government and hunters as having left the door open even though the court had also decreed Malta was in breach of the Birds Directive when it allowed spring hunting to go ahead after EU accession in 2004.
Under the Birds Directive, spring hunting is not allowed and any decision by national governments to open the season would have to be justified afterwards according to restricted parameters spelled out in the directive.
The government is now studying ways in which it could apply the derogation to allow spring hunting and respect the ECJ's ruling.
The Prime Minister has confirmed the government's intentions but refrained from giving any details as to what conditions will be imposed on hunters.
EU Commission officials told The Sunday Times that spring hunting was still possible in Malta following the court judgement but they also warned that any decision had to respect the limits imposed.
"If we feel Malta surpasses the limits imposed, we will take the country back to court. And this time there will be fines," the officials told the newspaper.
The situation is a tricky one and ornithologists argue that any notion of limited spring hunting is next to impossible to achieve given the size of the hunting fraternity and the number of birds they shoot.
Birdlife Malta puts the onus on the government and warns against the risk of applying a derogation which may lead to Malta being taken to the ECJ for a second time.
"If the Office of the Prime Minister has any idea how Malta could meet all the conditions for a lawful derogation, then we expect the OPM to reveal the details of such a plan to the public before a decision is taken," Birdlife Malta President Joe Mangion says.
He doubts how the Prime Minister believes Malta could meet all conditions of the Birds Directive with a "proven record of inadequate enforcement of hunting laws".
"It is about time the Prime Minister respects European nature conservation laws and the will of the majority of the Maltese who do not want another spring hunting season," Mr Mangion says.
The issue may very well boil down to whether hunters can be trusted with adhering to strict conditions and achieve what according to Birdlife was not even achieved abroad.
The secretary of St Hubert's Hunters, Mark Mifsud Bonnici, believes the reputation hunters have earned is unfair because illegalities perpetrated by the few were "inflated".
"The problem is not what it is made out to be. There are problematic hunters but the situation is under control," he says, insisting his organisation agrees with beefing up the police section that deals with enforcement of hunting regulations.
Mr Mifsud Bonnici goes a step further. He argues in favour of the creation of a Wildlife Crime Unit, a proposal with which hunters and bird lovers, for a change, both agree.
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15 Comments
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S Vella
Feb 3rd 2010, 13:00
@ J Borg
I pay a licence TO KEEP AND CARRY MY SHOTGUN! the gun/s I own, which I bought for hundres of Mltese lira are registerd on my address and I am responsable for them, and if I decide to go and hunt in Gozo and sleep over, I have to inform the police that I will be taking the shotgun to hunt in Gozo and give them the address were I will be staying so that they have full record and be able to track the full movement of my weapon, and you come up with this brilliant suggestion.... " the removal of operative firearms from our homes+streets – by storing them in specific licensed shooting ranges and hunting zones."
May I remind you that even from the law courts we had thefts and If I am not mistaken a machine gun was stolen from the Law Courts...and you are suggesting to deposit our weapons in a shooting range...
VERY RESPONSABLE Ha HA!!
Good suggestion to deposite knives then too.
Roger Flett
Feb 3rd 2010, 07:39
@M M Bonnici
If a gun was handled like that on a club shooting range, the person would be banned from the club. Regarding shooting accidents, most are not apprehended. Very recently friends of mine were hit by shot when a hunter was panning after a bird too close to a road, the two hunters ran away before the police got there. BTW your eye sight is remarkable if you can see the safety catch, besides it is not relevant since the gun is being handled in a dangerous manner.
s vella
Feb 3rd 2010, 07:33
@ J Borg
Huntig is already restricted to limited areas. When you consider the size of our country, then subtract the habitant residential areas where obvously hunters cannot practise their hobby, the reserves and area protected around them, cemetries, airfield, roads and protected boundary distance surrounding these places, we already have restricted areas.
Malta is only 316 km2 or 121 sq miles so we are already talking about restricted hunting grouds! besides a lot of the hunting areas are private so one cannot just roam about on privat ground to hunt were ever he likes.
David Borg Cardona
Feb 2nd 2010, 20:06
@ Mrs. J.Borg
Wowwwww you are relentless are you ??? At times I wonder if you have anything better to do then nag and re-nag about your countryside issue.. .It is a fixation I'm sure !!!! Do you dream about it at night too ???
Sylvana Zarb Darmanin
Feb 2nd 2010, 19:19
J Borg, your usual moaning about the countryside! Nothing new! Try enjoying the Ghadira Nature Reserve - obviously Sundays only! And this if BLM do not take up your suggestion for a "roster basis"!! Madam, if you believe that 50m are not enough, I suggest you take your country walks further away than these 50m during Springtime when our Maltese hunters will be rightfully enjoying their traditional pastime!!
Johnny Xerri
Feb 2nd 2010, 18:45
@ J Borg,
I ask you again ( I don't know how many times I have asked you so),
Aren't 200 meters from buildings, 50 meters from main roads, 50 meters from bays, 30 bird sanctuaries enough for you.
Currently hunters can hunt in their private land and in public land. Public land is nearly all off limits to hunters since bird sanctuaries are on public land.
Moreover, how ridiculous can one get. Restricting shotguns to the shooting site. Who will oil the gun and maintain it when not in use? Moreover, you expect hunters to line up in the morning to collect their gun. Queue and wait our turn to collect the guns. Then re-queue (at all the different times of the) to deposit them. By the time the deposit takes place we re-queue to recollect the gun. LOL....
While at it why don't you suggest that knives are deposited by house wives at dinner time and recollected just in time to prepare breakfast? Re-deposited and recollected just in time to prepare lunch. Re-deposited and recollected just in time to prepare dinner.LOL…
You only get better my dear..keep it up
M. Cardona
Feb 2nd 2010, 15:48
@Mr Ramon Casha
please qualify "hunting season is CURRENTLY meant to be closed" since hunting season was legally open until only two days ago! A mere slip maybe?
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Feb 2nd 2010, 15:27
Roger Flett
If you look closely, you will see that the gun safety catch is on. Hunting related accidents in Malta speak for themselves. We have the highest density of hunters in Europe yet accidents are by far less then anywhere else in the hunting world.
However your advise is greatly appreciated.
Considering the photographer is behind the hunters back, should he have not been a bit more diligent too. I don't expect the hunter to see from the back of his head!!
J. Borg
Feb 2nd 2010, 15:16
@ stefan micallef
....sure.....I would say 50 meters buffer around each hunting zone would be the minimum reuired.
We all know that lead pellets can fall beyond the perimiter of the land allocated for hunting - let alone a misfired shot taking dangerous low path.....
stefan micallef
Feb 2nd 2010, 14:12
Ms. Borg, Hunting and trapping do take place in specific areas and in the countryside, of course, where else. You see these activities are legally regulated such as no hunting within 200 metres from an inhabitited areas, no hunting from within 100 meters from a main road and 50 metres from secondary roads, no hunting in nature reserves, so on and so forth. So please in future do try to have a valid point to make.as Lino Farrugia already told you.
S Mizzi
Feb 2nd 2010, 14:10
Tghidx hmerijiet J Borg!
MARK MIFSUD BONNICI
Feb 2nd 2010, 13:21
JBorg - The Hunter Hater.
Why not apply your restriction to your walking in a few limited specific areas.
Considering you seem to be the only person that cannot share our countryside you should have done so years ago.
Just in case you need some support, why not try Birdlife, they need support for their reclaiming the countryside campaign. At the disastrous rate their campaigns are going, they have no option left other then to start buying some countryside just ike most hunters have done.
Roger Flett
Feb 2nd 2010, 13:02
This picture has been used three times now, and it admirably illustrates the danger that hunters habitually subject the general public to by irresponsible gun handling. This hunter does not have any idea of whom he is pointing his gun at, certainly its elevation is similar to the photographers position. A gun loaded or otherwise should never be pointed such that a person could be injured. The only safe way to hold a gun is as near to vertical downwards as is possible.
J. Borg
Feb 2nd 2010, 11:41
An effective / less costly way is to restrict hunting to a few limited specific areas – rather than the free-for-all endured to-date.
This will facilitate adequate monitoring and thus ensure that the set limit of birds killed will be adhered to – whilst obviously no protected birds will be shot.
Hunters will be allowed to hunt on a predetermined roster basis – to ensure that all registered and adequately trained hunters have the same opportunity.
As for the criminals who will at first persist in shooting outside such zones and at protected birds – there would be no excuse to justify the carrying of shotguns outside the hunting zones and thus a streamlined mobile ALE squad stands a better chance to weed them out with the support of strategically located civilian watch and timely response to tel. reports.
Moreover, such demarcation of hunting zones will free the rest of the countryside – so that it can be enjoyed in peace and safety by families and tourists alike.
Lastly, having hunting restricted to a few areas will eventually facilitate the removal of operative firearms from our homes+streets – by storing them in specific licensed shooting ranges and hunting zones.
Ramon Casha
Feb 2nd 2010, 11:31
Am I to understand that the hunting season is currently meant to be closed? From the hunters walking around slinging their guns I wouldn't have noticed.