Hunters will be allowed to shoot 11,000 turtle doves and 5,000 quails when the spring hunting season opens next week.

The government yesterday published a legal notice allowing spring hunting to take place between April 12 and April 30, both days included.

The bag limits are higher than last year’s quotas when the government had allowed the shooting of 9,000 turtle ­doves and 2,500 quails. However, despite higher limits hunters were still irked by the legal notice.

In an initial reaction, Joe Perici Calascione, the president of the hunting federation, FKNK, said the hunting community was “disappointed”.

“We will be calling a press conference later this week but we had made proposals that could improve on the current conditions set by the government,” he said.

The government will have to justify to the EU Commission why it is applying a derogation to open the spring hunting season. Hunting in spring goes against the Birds’ Directive but a ruling by the European Court of Justice had allowed Malta a window of opportunity after it deemed the autumn season not to be a satisfactory alternative to spring.

However, opening a spring hunting season will still have to be justified every year and is dependent on the number of turtle doves and quails shot the previous autumn.

In its statement announcing the open season the government warned hunters that illegal hunting would jeopardise future hunting derogations.

“It is to be recalled that Malta is the only EU member state for which the Court of Justice of the EU has accepted that a spring hunting derogation for turtle dove and quail may be justifiable,” the statement said.

The legal notice published yesterday imposes individual bag limits on the number of birds hunters can shoot. Hunters can each shoot two birds per day, which is one more than last year, and four birds in a whole season.

The government can close the season before the end of the month if the national bag limits are reached.

Hunters are obliged to send an SMS each time they kill a bird and record the catch in the official booklet known as a carnet de chasse. The reporting of dead birds must be done before leaving the hunting zone.

They will have to wear special numbered armbands while in the field and carry their special spring hunting license at all times.

Hunters have to apply for a special licence costing €50 between today and tomorrow at all Maltapost branches. Only those with a valid hunting licence can apply, on presentation of their ID card.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com