A call for a moratorium on hunting turtle doves is not a U-turn but “the most logical decision in the circumstances”, according to the head of the Kaċċaturi San Ubertu.
Alternattiva Demokratika yesterday questioned the hunters’ change of heart after urging the government on Saturday to declare a voluntary moratorium on the species in view of the “perceived decline” of turtle dove and the subsequent classification of the species as “vulnerable”.
Hunting organisations had argued during the referendum proposing a ban on spring hunting last year that the birds shot during the spring migration on Malta had a negligible effect on the overall status of the species.
While welcoming the move, AD spokesman Simon Galea said: “It is a pity that the hunters opposed us and environmental NGOs on the issue for so many years and took so long to come to terms with this reality and that both the PN and the PL supported such an unsustainable practice.”
The turtle dove was placed in the “vulnerable” category in a report on threatened birds produced for the European Commission last July, a few months after the referendum, which rejected a ban on spring hunting.
The hunters’ call for a moratorium followed an appeal for restrictions on the spring hunting of turtle dove by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and by European Commissioner Karmenu Vella.
The president of Kaċċaturi San Ubertu, Mark Mifsud Bonnici, told the Times of Malta yesterday the decision was not a U-turn by hunters because the reclassification of turtle dove as “vulnerable” only came about after the referendum.
“We have consistently said that the 5,000 or so birds shot during the season in Malta do not have a major effect compared to the two or three million in other European countries,” he said.
“The moratorium should be seen as a temporary measure until the reasons behind the reclassification are properly understood and until it can be seen whether this is just a further attempt to prevent Malta from enjoying its rights,” he added, noting that the measure would create an opportunity for the species to re-establish itself.
Mr Mifsud Bonnici added that the decision had also been taken in the context of the imminent case faced by the Maltese government over spring hunting at EU level.