BirdLife Malta and CABS welcomed the government’s decision to consider adopting tough regulations placing hunters convicted of illegalities under a lifelong ban.

If adopted, such regulations would be a serious improvement over existing legislation that sets a minimum fine of €230 for first-time offenders and €465 for repeat offenders, the organisations said.

Earlier this month, The Sunday Times reported that hunters breaching regulations and caught shooting at birds in the close season and those who poach protected species would be barred from practising their hobby for life.

The organisations said last week a person arrested for being in possession of 10 dead protected birds was fined €2,000 and another found illegally owning 70 dead protected birds, including vultures, eagles, kites and other rare birds protected under international law, was fined €500.

In both cases the fines were issued within the parameters of the law. “This shows that the law is too ambiguous and allows for large differences in sentences,” they said.

Describing the fines as “mere slaps on the wrist”, the organisations pointed out that convicted hunters and trappers were often back in the field a short while later. “The law needs to set out more severe minimum sentences for all hunting and trapping offences and hunting licences should be permanently revoked for all serious hunting and trapping contraventions,” they said.