The spring hunting season this year was possibly worse than last year in terms of the number of illegally shot birds and illegalities perpetrated by hunters, Birdlife Malta said today.

Addressing a news conference this afternoon at the end of the season, Birdlife said that its data was still preliminary but this year it had received 20 illegally shot birds against last year’s 12 and 21 in 2011.

Director Steve Micklewright took umbrage at Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes who was quoted saying that only 18 birds were killed illegally across the island this year.

In saying so, Mr Galdes was trying to play down the extent of illegalities perpetrated. It was ridiculous to say that only 18 birds were killed as there must have been many others which were not recovered.

He said that Mr Galdes’s title should be changed to Parliamentary Secretary for Hunting. BirdLife understood that the government wanted to deliver on its agreement with hunters, however, the government should take a fresh look at the matter especially since FKNK could not be trusted with enforcement.

Faced with such a situation, it would be reasonable for the government to withdraw from its agreement.

Mr Micklewright said Birdlife totally condemned plans for an autumn derogation to allow trapping and he asked if this would include finches. If the government went down that line Malta would be going back on its previous commitments with the EU to phase out finch trapping.

Throughout the news conference, BirdLife showed footage of illegalities being committed. The footage included an incident in the fields near Gianpula one night when six hunters were heard shooting in an area where birds were roosting. One of the Birdlife members in the field witnessed a harrier going down.

BirdLife said that according to its figures, which were just the tip of the iceberg, there were 41 birds in flight that had visible injuries but continued on their way. There were 14 incidents of illegal trapping, 600 incidents of hunters seen out in the field outside hunting times and 53 protected birds that were shot at or shot down.

The organisation insisted that enforcement had to be beefed up and that having seven officers per 1,000 hunters was too little.

It was noted that the court had given out sentences that were harsher than in previous years but also that there were still 600 pending cases in court related to hunting. It was important that such cases are dealt with quickly.

Mr Micklewright said that Birdlife would be comparing the number of shots it recorded this season to the number of SMSes hunters were obliged to send each time they brought down a quail or a turtle dove.

He said that migration this year seemed to have been better than in previous years, however, this analysis was still taking place. April 18 was a particularly good day for migration and it was also particularly intense in terms of hunting.

BirdLife, he said, would also be sending its reports to the EU commission.