A committee that makes hunting recommendations to the government has proposed allowing hunters to shoot 500 vulnerable birds this autumn.
The government’s Ornis committee met on Wednesday to discuss the opening of a hunting season for protected turtle doves.
Made up of conservationists, hunters and regulators, the committee makes recommendations, which the government then decides whether or not to approve and implement.
Turtle doves are considered a “near threatened” species across the EU as population numbers have been steadily decreasing since the 1980s.
The move follows a European Commission decision to heavily regulate autumn hunting of the vulnerable species by imposing a limitation on the number of birds member states can shoot.
Between 2013 and 2016, hunters in Malta declared shooting between 3,000 and 6,000 turtle doves during the autumn season. The figure of declared catches then suddenly dropped to between 100 and 200.
The dip in declared shootings came as hunters sought to convince the EU that a negligible number of birds were being shot on the island in autumn.
Conservationists have repeatedly raised doubts over the accuracy of hunters’ declaration in recent years.
Meanwhile, Birdlife said after the meeting the proposed quota of 500 turtle-doves to be hunted in September is "a farce" and ignores warnings that the European turtle dove is seriously endangered.
In response to the European Commission's push to save the bird, the Maltese government proposed reducing the hunting bag limit in autumn to 500 birds when, in reality, the total amount of turtle-doves declared shot and killed by hunters was 809 between 2016 to 2020, an average of 162 birds per year.
Allowing 500 turtle doves to be shot is actually three times more than the average of the last five years, based on the declared amounts by Maltese hunters, Birdlife argued.
Birdlife was the only organisation to oppose the proposed quota.
CEO Mark Sultana stated: “Malta is only paying lip service to environmental protection. The present administration, through the Wild Birds Regulation Unit, (WRBU) is once again willing to appease the hunting lobby and will make no changes to bad practices...
Through the WRBU the government is taking the European Commission for a ride with only 2.7% of hunters in Malta taking part in the reporting system, he said, adding that there is no indication that this will improve.
Wednesday's meeting took the place of a gathering that was cancelled last-minute a week ago today.
WBRU head Richard Lia informed committee members about his intention to resign after details of the meeting were revealed in a press release by conservationists Birdlife.
Lia is understood to have been taken aback by an angry exchange with hunting minister Clint Camilleri, who only learned of the Ornis committee meeting after Birdlife made their public statement.
“I can’t work like this,” Lia told committee members.
However, despite informing members he planned to tender his resignation, it is understood he has had a change of heart and chaired Wednesday's meeting.
Lia was appointed to the position in 2020 after previously serving as acting head of the hunting regulator. His appointment was criticised by Birdlife after it was revealed he had a licence for bird trapping.