A poacher was yesterday caught trapping protected waterbirds at Ħas-Saptan valley following an investigation by the Committee Against Bird Slaughter.
The large illegal bird trap found near Gudja was inside an artificial pond. It was equipped with a number of plastic birds as well as live decoys.
The find was made on the day the government faced a deadline to justify to the European Commission its decision to open a trapping season last autumn.
In its reply, the government informed the Commission that its position had not changed.
“The government maintains that a limited and strictly supervised finch trapping derogation satisfies all applicable EU parameters,” a government spokesman told the Times of Malta.
Malta has received a second warning from the Commission on its decision to reopen trapping. Yet the government has shown no signs of backtracking on its intention to reopen a trapping season next autumn.
Last Sunday this newspaper reported the Italian government’s decision, taken on July 23, to outlaw the practice following the second warning it received from the Commission. Environment Commissioner Karmenu Vella has also warned that Malta must abide by EU law.
The large illegal bird trap found near Gudja was inside an artificial pond
On the eve of the second warning received from the Commission last May, the Ornis Committee – the government’s advisory body on hunting and trapping – made a recommendation to approve trapping again this autumn. The government said it would announce its decision “in due course”.
A ‘notice for trappers’ posted on the hunting federation’s online forum informs members that applications for trapping licenses were open.
Birdlife Malta has urged the government to ban the practice rather than risk Malta facing long and costly legal proceedings at the European court, which is the next step for Malta if the Commission is not satisfied by the government’s justification.
Birdlife has submitted a detailed report to the Commission on the environmental impact of trapping, listing bird conservation issues and the practical problems faced by enforcement authorities.
The organisation also referred to the impact trapping has on the countryside and other wildlife. The countryside was scorched and burned in preparation for more than 8,000 active trapping sites last season.