The Parliamentary Secretary for Animal Welfare this morning formally announced the autumn hunting season hours, which are unchanged from last year.

They include a reduction in the hours of the mid-season curfew, as announced last year amid criticism from Birdlife (see http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130813/local/autumn-hunting-season-announced.482007)

Hunting of birds on land shall be permitted between tomorrow and January 31 between two hours before sunrise and two hours after sunset on any day between Monday and Saturday, and between two hours before sunrise and 1pm on Sundays and Public Holidays.

However the hunting of birds on land between September 15 and October 7 (inclusive of both dates) shall not be permitted from Monday to Saturday between 7 pm and two hours before sunrise of the following day.

The hunting of birds at sea shall be permitted between October 1 and January 31 during the same times as those applicable to hunting on land, provided that between  October 1 and October 7, inclusive of both dates, hunting at sea shall not be permitted from Monday to Saturday between 7 pm and two hours before sunrise of the following day.

Compliance with applicable regulations will be rigorously enforced through field surveillance, spot checks and inspections, the secretariat said.

Anyone caught shooting or trapping protected species will automatically incur a penalty comprising of a €5,000 fine, and / or imprisonment for one year, as well as permanent revocation or ban on obtaining a hunting or trapping licence, and confiscation of the birds. In case of a second or subsequent offence, the applicable penalty will go up to €10,000, confiscation, and / or imprisonment for two years.

Penalties for all other irregularities, including for non-declaration of bagged birds in the Carnet de Chasse also apply.