The opening of a live-capturing season for huntable species depended solely on the government's good will or otherwise, the Hunters' Federation said.

It said in a statement that after participating at an urgent Malta Ornis Committee Meeting yesterday, specifically to discuss this season, it carries full responsibility of this statement.

The FKNK said that on June 15, the Malta Ornis Committee made its recommendations to the government to declare live-capturing open seasons for this autumn/winter for the huntable species turtle doves, quails, golden plovers and song thrushes, as had been done every year since EU membership in 2004.

The Ornis Committee meeting was informed that the government had now requested a solid scientific study on the conservation status of the species.

Since the government had decided to apply a derogation to permit live-capturing of these huntable species, the meeting agreed that a scientific study should be undertaken and that this was to be ongoing.

The FKNK said it had already supplied the government with the necessary tools and studies for it to open live-capturing seasons for these otherwise perfectly legal huntable species as it had done every year.

It, therefore, again appealed to the government and the Prime Minister to confirm the open season dates as recommended by the committee.

"This should be declared immediately, even so that the confusion and sufferings being endured by the thousands of Maltese and Gozitan trappers at present are relieved, since at the end of the day the same Maltese and Gozitan citizens and their families are at the receiving end of such government decisions," the FKNK said.