The government said today that law enforcement against hunting abuse is currently more intensive per square kilometre than anywhere else in the European Union.

Four persons were booked over the weekend for a number of offences including carrying an uncovered shotgun within a public road; possession of heavy gauge shot; failure to declare hunting on the Carnet de Chasse booklet;  the shooting a protected bird (a Swallow); and a case of possession of pre-recorded bird calls during hunting activity.

Field surveillance on Saturday was supported by the use of an unmanned aerial vehicle that flew three sorties of about 30 minutes each in protected areas during times when hunting was not permitted.

Five AFM vehicles were also used for patrols, along with police vehicles.

The Spring hunting season for turtle dove and quail opened on Saturday.

The government said the police and the AFM in coordination with the Wild Birds Regulation Unit deployed over 70 enforcement officers, including officers from the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit, district police officers, officers from Rapid Response Unit and officers from canine and mounted police detachments.

"It is notable that this level of enforcement deployment per square km of countryside during hunting season is by far higher than levels of field enforcement deployed in any other country in Europe," the government said.

"The operation comprises mixed patrol and surveillance techniques including vehicular patrols, foot patrols, mounted patrols, covert surveillance operations including using unmanned aerial surveillance vehicles (drones) and stationary observation posts located in strategic vantage locations," the government said.

On Saturday and yesterday  enforcement officers carried out around 190 spot checks on hunters in the field. Four suspected offenders were apprehended, three on Saturday and one on Sunday.

The government said 9,798 hunters are in possession of the Special Spring Hunting License for turtle dove and quail. Each time a catch is made, the hunter is required by law to report the bird caught via SMS to the numbers stipulated in special License, and to record the bag in carnet de chasse before leaving the hunting area.

"These reporting obligations, as well as the daily bag limit of two birds per hunter per day up to four birds per hunter during the entire season are being strictly enforced in the field through a system of spot-checks, which are conducted by field enforcement personnel. Any breaches detected in the course of these spot checks are being dealt with according to law. Non-compliance with Special Licence conditions can lead to hefty fines, suspension of the license and criminal prosecution in accordance with the law," the governemnt added.

Independent observers are manning 10 ornithological observation stations on any given day throughout the season, to assess the extent of migratory influx of turtle dove and quail over the Maltese Islands. This observation data is being used to estimate the total extent of migration, which estimate provides an additional, independent mechanism for verification of reported hunting bags.

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