Research conducted last autumn by the hunters’ lobby FKNK does not justify spring hunting or prove that hunting for turtle doves is sustainable, BirdLife’s head of conservation Nicholas Barbara said.
Last week, FKNK said in a statement that research conducted last year by the organisation proved that spring hunting was sustainable.
The positive results of the research led to the lifting of a five-year moratorium on spring hunting for turtle doves this spring, the statement said.
The research, seen by Times of Malta, was a survey of 100 shot turtle doves, with hunters self-reporting by SMS whether it was an adult or juvenile.
Hunters were given leaflets containing guidelines to distinguish adults from juvenile turtle doves.
FKNK CEO Lino Farrugia said the research “showed that the harvested juveniles were 28 per cent more than the adults, which juvenile to adult ratio of hunted turtle doves indicates another positive gauge of the species’ sustainability”.
The research is being repeated this September, Farrugia said.
However, BirdLife’s Barbara said the data proves nothing about spring hunting.
“In the autumn, juvenile turtle doves would have already hatched in the summer and so it is expected that more juveniles are in the air,” he said.
Spring is a far more sensitive time for turtle doves and birds generally, as populations are lower and all doves are of breeding age, Barbara said.
Research conducted last autumn by the hunters’ lobby FKNK.European directives match this – the Birds Directive does not allow spring hunting of turtle doves.
Malta not only ignores this but has a higher bag quota in the spring, at 1,500 doves, than in the autumn, 500 doves, Barbara contended.
He added that more turtle doves pass through the Maltese islands in spring because of migratory patterns but that there are more birds in autumn generally.
Turtle doves were classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2015. This means that the species is one step away from becoming endangered as their numbers continue to decline.
Hunting has been a hotly contested issue over the past years.
In 2015, a consultative referendum on spring hunting led to a victory for the pro-hunting lobby by 2,200 votes.
However, in 2017 the Maltese government was forced to issue a moratorium on the hunting of turtle doves after threats of legal action from the European Commission.
Spring hunting of the turtle dove returned this year after Ornis, the hunting consultative committee, voted five votes to one in favour of lifting the moratorium.