This newspaper recently reported that Lewis Pugh, the United Nations’ Patron of the Sea, had sent a “strongly-worded letter” to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat exhorting him “to immediately suspend the autumn hunting season” and that Pugh’s position “is supported by the United Nations Environment Programme” (‘UN protection expert: end the autumn hunt’, September 24).

I am sure that Unep and its Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species have a strong position against the hunting of migratory birds. As a life member of BirdLife Malta, I share this position.

However, as a former UN officer, I doubt that either Unep or the convention would venture to dictate specific national action to a member state, such as suspending a hunting season, or that these bodies would use undiplomatic language in their communications.

I suggest that, while Pugh is commendably enthusiastic in his defence of various environmental causes, he is perhaps excessively so in the language of his letter.

He would do well to consider the measured and constructive view conveyed by ornithologist and conservationist Natalino Fenech in his response to the question (‘Close the hunting season? Why?’, The Sunday Times of Malta, October 2).