The hunting of turtle dove and quail in Malta has a “negligible” effect on the population dynamics of the species, according to the Yes for spring hunting camp.
Maltese hunters can only hunt a maximum of 11,000 turtle doves and 5,000 quail, which is only 0.7 per cent and 0.4 per cent of the European population respectively, spokesman Nyal Xuereb pointed out.
According to the guidance document on hunting under the Birds Directive, taking one per cent or less has a negligible effect on the population dynamics of the species, he added.
“This is proof of the exaggeration tactics being used by the No camp. Anyone who reads the sentence of the European Court of Justice in 2009 and observes the way the derogation was accepted can understand that if the turtle dove and quail were at risk of extinction, then the European Commission itself would stop the season out of its own accord.”
This is proof of the exaggeration tactics being used
Malta’s derogation, Mr Xuereb continued, is based on the fact that there was no satisfactory alternative, on low takings, strict control and surveillance, the fact that birds were shot at judiciously because they were eaten and the selective hunting methods.
In Scotland, hunters are allowed to hunt gannets during the spring, while Latvia hunts for woodcocks and Finland for long tail ducks.
Turtle dove and quail are a highly sought after dish in Europe, with the species being hunted in Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Spain – albeit not in spring. Some three million turtle doves and 4.5 million quail are hunted across the EU every year.
Their total population across the EU amounts to nearly 16 million and 12.5 million respectively.
“The principle of common sense should tell you that if the turtle dove and quail population were truly in a perilous state which [the No camp] is portraying, the EU would have immediately taken the necessary steps to not only stop the hunting of the few thousands in our country but to bring an end to the hunting of millions across the EU.”
Malta’s quota has been agreed upon by the European Commission, following the suggestions of world-renown European experts such as Prof. Nicholas Aebischer, Mr Xuereb continued.
The numbers submitted did not solely depend on the hunters but were also supplanted by scientific studies commissioned by the government. Bird Life, he continued, boycotted these studies every year.