A report by Spring Hunting Out CampaignJanuary 2015

www.springhuntingout.com www.facebook.com/SpringHuntingOutwww.twitter.com/SHout_Malta

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMARY IN MALTESESUMMARY IN ENGLISHWHY SHOULD I VOTE NO?BIRD MIGRATION OVER THE MALTESE ISLANDSTURTLE DOVE & QUAILTHE IMPACT OF SPRING HUNTINGTHE BIRDS DIRECTIVE AND DEROGATIONSREFERENCES

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Photo by Denis Cachia

Photo on front cover by David Tipling, Nature Picture Library

SUMMARY IN MALTESE

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Il-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa f’Malta teqred l-għasafar b’saħħithom li jkunu sejrin lura lejn il-kontinent tal-Ewropa mill-Afrika biex ibejtu u jkollhom il-frieħ. Il-kaċċa fuq dawn l-għasafar b’saħħithom li jkunu salvaw tul ix-xitwa qiegħda tipperikola ġenerazzjonijiet futuri ta’ għasafar.

Il-Gamiem u s-Summien huma ż-żewġ tipi ta’ għasafar li jistgħu uffiċċjalment jiġu kkaċċjati fir-rebbiegħa. L-għadd ta’ Gamiem fl-Ewropa naqas b’aktar minn 80%, iġifieri aktar minn 20 miljun minnhom inqerdu mill-1980 `l hawn. Il-kaċċa fuq dawn l-għasafar fir-rebbiegħa qiegħda tipperikola l-eżistenza tagħhom.

Bejn l-2010 u l-2014 ġew ikkaċċjati aktar minn 38 speċi oħra ta’ għasafar mill-kaċċaturi fir-rebbiegħa. Dan hu illegali. L-istaġun tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa qiegħed iservi ta’ paraventu biex jinqatlu speċi rari u protetti ta’ għasafar.

Kull kaċċatur Malti jista’ jaqbad erba’ għasafar fir-rebbiegħa. Għandna mal-10,000 kaċċatur liċenzjati biex joħorġu għall-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa. Jekk kull kaċċatur jaqbad par Gamiem u par Summien, ifisser li l-kaċċaturi Maltin qegħdin iċaħħdu lil dawn l-ispeċi milli jbidu 190,000 bajda kull sena. Il-fatt li dawn l-għasafar mhumiex jitħallew ibejtu minħabba l-isparar fuqhom qiegħed jolqot ħażin ħafna lill-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri.

Madwar 15-il speċi ta’ għasafar jistgħu jbejtu f’Malta jekk titneħħa l-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa, fosthom il-Barbaġann, l-Ispanjulett u l-Bies, li għandu rabta kbira ma’ Malta.

Skont id-Direttiva tal-Għasafar tal-Unjoni Ewropea, il-kaċċa fuq l-għasafar fir-rebbiegħa hi illegali. F’Malta biss qiegħda ssir il-kaċċa fuq l-għasafar għal skop ta’ delizzju.

Fl-2009 il-Qorti Ewropea tal-Ġustizzja sabet lil Malta ħatja li kisret id-Direttiva tal-Għasafar billi fetħet l-istaġun tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa. Partijiet oħra mis-sentenza taw lok għal opportunita’ li permezz tagħha l-Gvern Malti qiegħed jiftaħ l-istaġun tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa. Ir-referendum għandu l-għan li jagħlaq din l-opportunita’ billi jneħħi l-liġi li tippermetti l-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa.

Iż-żewġ partiti politiċi l-kbar waqgħu fil-mira ta’ għaqdiet tal-kaċċaturi biex isir ftehim magħhom filwaqt li jiġu mwiegħda l-voti fl-elezzjonijiet. Dan wassal biex l-istaġun tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa jitwal u aktar kaċċaturi jitħallew joħorġu għall-kaċċa. Iż-żewġ partiti politiċi l-kbar għamlu ftehim mal-kaċċaturi. Dan ir-referendum se jwassal biex deċiżjonijiet dwar il-futur tal-kaċċa f’Malta ma jibqgħux f’idejn il-partiti.

Il-Kummissjoni Ewropea qiegħda ssegwi l-istaġuni tal-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa f’Malta u taf li hemm il-problemi. Minħabba s-sitwazzjoni politika fl-Ewropa, jidher li m’għandhiex ir-rieda li tieħu azzjoni f’waqtha u ttemm il-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa. Irid jgħaddi ħafna żmien biex il-Kummissjoni Ewropea tieħu azzjoni, u sadanittant, kull sena aktar għasafar qegħdin jinqatlu.

Il-kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa qiegħda tolqot ħażin lill-għasafar. L-isparar fuq l-għasafar minn 10,000 kaċċatur qiegħed ikollu impatt serju fuq il-ġenerazzjonijiet futuri tal-għasafar. Vot favur il-LE fir-referendum hu l-aktar mod żgur kif din il-ħsara titwaqqaf.

SUMMARY IN ENGLISH

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Spring hunting in Malta kills the strong birds that are returning to mainland Europe from Africa to lay eggs and raise young. Hunting these strong birds that have survived the winter is putting future generations of birds in danger.

Turtle Dove and Quail are the two types of bird that can be officially hunted in spring. Turtle Dove numbers across Europe have declined by over 80% and over 20 million of these birds have disappeared since 1980. Shooting them in spring is endangering their survival.

Over 38 other types of bird have been targeted by hunters in spring between 2010-14. This shooting is illegal. The spring hunting season acts as cover for the targeting of rare and protected types of bird.

Each Maltese hunter can shoot up to four birds in spring. There are about 10,000 registered spring hunters. If each hunter shoots a pair of Turtle Dove and Quail each, Maltese hunters would be responsible for preventing 190,000 eggs from being laid each year. Preventing birds from breeding by shooting them is having a serious impact on future generations.

About 15 types of bird could nest and breed in Malta if spring hunting was banned, including Barn Owl, Common Kestrel and the iconic Maltese or Peregrine Falcon.

The European Union Birds’ Directive makes it illegal to hunt birds in spring. Only Malta allows hunting of birds in spring for fun.

In 2009 the European Court of Justice found Malta guilty of being in breach of the Birds’ Directive for allowing spring hunting. Additional text in the judgement allows an opportunity by which the Maltese government can allow spring hunting. By removing the law that allows spring hunting in Malta we will stop this opportunity.

Both political parties have been targeted by the hunters’ organisations to make deals for the promise of their votes at elections. This has meant spring hunting seasons have become longer with more hunters allowed to go out and hunt. Both political parties have made deals with hunters. The referendum takes the decision about the future of hunting in Malta out of their hands.

The European Commission monitors Malta’s spring hunting seasons and is aware that there are problems. Because of the political situation in Europe it seems unwilling to act quickly to end spring hunting. It takes a long time for the European Commission to act so every year more and more birds are killed.

Spring hunting in Malta is having a serious impact on birds. 10,000 hunters shooting birds is having a serious impact on future generations of birds. Voting NO in the referendum is the most certain way of stopping this damage.

WHY SHOULDI VOTE NO?

BIRD MIGRATION OVER THE MALTESE ISLANDS

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Spring hunting does not make sense for conservationists or hunters: you do not kill the birds as they go to lay their eggs. Malta is an essential location for birds as they are flying between Africa and Europe on their long migrations. Turtle Dove and Quail can both be hunted in spring; however, populations of these species are in decline in many European countries. This, in part, can be attributed to spring hunting in Malta as well as changes to farming where they breed. Furthermore, the legal hunting season is a cover for many illegalities including targeting of rare, protected species which also migrate at the same time as Turtle Dove and Quail. Voting NO in the referendum is a way to protect these birds and ensure their future generations.

What is migration?Migration occurs when birds fly from one region to another. In spring many birds fly from Africa to Europe to breed. The journey is a long and perilous one.

What makes spring migration so important?The birds flying over Malta in spring are therefore the strong ones that have survived the winter in Africa. They are returning to mainland Europe to breed. If you kill these birds, they will not be able to breed and so bird numbers will continue to decline. One Turtle Dove may have 6 chicks each year: for Quail this number can be higher than 16. Whether you are a birdwatcher or a hunter, it makes no sense to kill the birds that lay the eggs that provide future generations of birds.

Importance of MaltaMany species can be seen flying over in Malta in spring and the time when spring hunting takes place is when this movement of birds reaches its peak. This is an amazing miracle of nature and huge flocks of birds such as Bee-eaters, Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers are spectacular to see.

Birds from 48 countries have been found to fly over Malta in Spring and Autumn including: Pallid Harrier, Europe’s rarest bird of prey; Eleonora’s falcon whose global numbers are falling; and Red-footed falcon which is globally threatened.

 

Spring migration: Malta is on 1 of the 3 key routes

Travel Campaign/VBN

TURTLE DOVE & QUAIL

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Turtle Dove and Common Quail are the only two species that can be hunted in spring in Malta. They cannot be hunted in spring anywhere else in the European Union.

Declining populationsTurtle Dove numbers across Europe have declined by over 80% and over 20 million Turtle Doves have been lost since 1980. In reaction to this, countries like the UK and Germany have added Turtle Dove to their lists of strictly protected species which means they cannot be hunted under any circumstances.

Quail populations are also declining in countries such as France, Hungary and Poland, where there have been significant decreases in less than 20 years. The birds flying over Malta breed in these countries.

Increasingly vulnerableKilling birds as they go to breed has a huge effect on future numbers of the birds as it kills those that would maintain and increase the population. Considering that these birds are already in decline, hunting them in spring is only making this even worse. Even hunters themselves acknowledge that Turtle Doves have been decreasing, yet they fail to acknowledge that hunting them is aiding this decline.

Other species at riskTurtle Dove and Quail are not the only species that are hunted in spring in practice. A lot of hunting of other types of bird occurs under the cover of an open hunting season. These species of bird are protected by law.

 http://www.ebcc.info/index.php?ID=557    

 

Example: Passenger pigeons were once abundant across the world but hunting of the species before they bred resulted in their extinction 100 years ago.

Over 38 protected species have been observed being targeted illegally during the spring hunting seasons between 2010 and 2014:

Alpine Swift, Barn Swallow, Bee-eater, Black Kite, Black-winged Stilt, Blue Rock Thrush, Collared Dove, Common Cuckoo, Common Kestrel, Common Shelduck, Common Swift, Feral/Racing Pigeon, Golden Oriole, Green Sandpiper, Grey Heron, Hobby, Honey Buzzard, Hoopoe, House Martin, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Lesser Kestrel, Little Bittern, Little Egret, Montagu’s Harrier, Night Heron, Nightjar, Osprey, Pallid Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Red-rumped Swallow, Roller, Sand Martin, Scopoli’s Shearwater, Short-eared Owl, Spoonbill, Stone Curlew, Wryneck, Yellow-legged Gull.

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THE IMPACTOF SPRING HUNTING

Turtle DoveTurtle Doves have recently attempted to breed in Malta. However, prospective parents are shot. A significant number of countries have been linked to Malta via studies of Turtle Doves and many of them have decreasing numbers of Turtle Dove. There is wide international impact of Malta’s spring hunting season.

QuailQuail has also bred in Malta in the past. In 2009 when spring hunting was temporarily banned there were 3 separate reports of Quail chicks. Research shows that Quail flying over Malta breed in only a few countries. This means that the impact of spring hunting in Malta on these countries is very high.

A Maltese hunter can officially shoot four birds each spring hunting season. While the national quota for these birds is 16,000, most hunters shoot as many birds as they can.

A female Turtle Dove can lay up to 6 eggs each year. If a pair of birds are killed by a hunter, they would be responsible for preventing up to 6 eggs from being laid.

A female Quail lays up to 13 eggs each year. If a pair of these birds are killed by a hunter, they would be responsible for preventing 13 eggs from being laid.

If all Maltese hunters shot a pair of each spe-cies they would be responsible for preventing 19 eggs from being laid. If all 10,000 of Malta’s hunters did this, they would be responsible for preventing up to 190,000 eggs from being laid each year. This has a serious impact on future generations.

If all 10,000 of Malta’s hunters did this, they would

be responsible for preventing up to 190,000 eggs from

being laid each year. This has a serious impact on

future generations.

“ ”

Top: Shot Turtle Dove, photo by David TiplingBottom: Shot Quail, photo by Lars Seorink

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Pallid HarrierThere are around 2,000 Pallid Harriers in the EU and it is the rarest bird of prey in Europe. Two were brought into the BirdLife Malta office injured during the spring hunting season of 2013. The numbers of Pallid Harriers has decreased by over 20% since the 1970s. It is considered to be undergoing steep population decline in Europe. Each bird is therefore essential for the survival of the species: spring hunting in Malta is impacting the decline of this bird of prey.

OspreyStudies show a significant number of Ospreys, a protected species, are shot in Malta. Ospreys are only linked to a few countries, particularly Finland and Sweden. In Finland, a significant amount of time and money has been spent on Osprey research to ensure their survival, through artificial nest boxes: the spring hunting season in Malta is damaging other countries’ efforts to protect birds

Common SwiftSwifts began to nest and breed again in Malta in 2008 after spring hunting was banned following action by the European Commission. They now breed in urban areas where they are safe from hunting. If spring hunting was abolished, many more birds would nest in Malta

Around 15 species have bred in Malta in the past, but persecution from legal and illegal hunting in spring prevents them from doing so now. Malta would have more birds breeding in Malta without spring hunting including

Peregrine Falcon Barn OwlCommon KestrelWestern Jackdaw Woodchat Shrike Turtle Dove Common Quail

IMPACT OF SPRING HUNTING ON OTHER BIRDS

CASUALTIES OF SPRING HUNTING

Hobby shot in Spring

Golden Oriole shot in Spring

Black-Winged Stilt shot in Spring

THE BIRDS DIRECTIVE& DEROGATIONS

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What is the Birds Directive?The Birds Directive is the EU’s law aimed at protecting all birds in Europe. It makes it illegal to hunt birds in spring. Other countries that used to hunt birds in spring have stopped this unsustainable tradition.

The legislation allows derogations, or exemptions, from this under certain conditions such as air safety, to prevent damage to crops and public health reasons. The spring hunting derogation has to meet a number of criteria to be allowed (see box).

What did the European Court of Justice say?In 2009 Malta was taken to the European Court of Justice over spring hunting. The Court found Malta had “failed in its obligations” to the Birds Directive through allowing hunting in spring without applying derogations.

Why does this matter?Despite having been found guilty, additional text in the judgement provided an opportunity through which Malta’s governments have continued to open spring hunting seasons, despite continued declines in Turtle Dove and Quail populations.

Action: Maltese politicians - noneBoth main political parties have been targeted by the hunters’ organisations and they have made deals in return for votes allowing spring hunting. Since politicians are being blackmailed by the hunting organisations, they are unable to make the right decisions about hunting for birds and Malta. In fact, since Malta started applying spring hunting derogations in 2010, the spring hunting seasons became longer and allowed more hunters to go out and hunt.

Action: European Commission - noneFollowing the European Court of Justice’s comments, the European Commission has been monitoring Malta’s derogations but relying on reports by hunters and government about how the seasons were being controlled. Although the Commission is aware of the various shortcomings, it has been unwilling to commit to quick action against Malta on spring hunting, and has re-opened an infringement case in 2010 which to date remains still open. However with only one warning delivered in 2010, the Commission is taking matters too slowly and seems unwilling to proceed further.

Criteria for allowing spring hunting- No other satisfactory solution- Strictly supervised conditions- Selective basis, - Certain birds- Judicious use- Small numbers

Action: You? – IVVOTA LE!

But there is no time. Spring hunting in Malta impacts on birds in Malta and Europe. Malta is an important place for birds on the last leg of their journey to Europe to make the next generation of birds. It does not make sense for 10,000 hunters to be shooting these birds at this time: their populations are in decline and this is reducing the number of birds during autumn.

Photo by David Tipling, Nature Picture Library

REFERENCES

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Birdlife International (2004) Birds in Europe: population estimates, trends and conservation status. Cam-bridge UK: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 12)

European Union Management Plan 2009-2011 for Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

European Union Management Plan 2007-2009 for Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur)

EU population status assessments, [online] http://bd.eionet.europa.eu/article12/summary accessed 30 January 2015

PECBMS (2013) Population Trends of Common European Breeding Birds 2013 [online] http://www.ebcc.info/wpimages/video/Leaflet2013.pdf accessed 30 January 2015

PECBMS (2014) Trends of common birds in Europe, 2014 update, [online] http://www.ebcc.info/index.php?ID=557 accessed 30 January 2015

Raine, A., 2007. The International Impact of Hunting and Trapping in the Maltese Islands. BirdLife Malta, Ta’Xbiex, Malta

Sultana, J., Borg J.J., Gauci, C. and Falzon, V. (2011) The Breeding Birds of Malta BirdLife Malta, Malta.

Case-law of the Court of Justice, Judgement of the Court (Second Chamber 10 September 2009 [online] http://curia.europa.eu/juris/document/document.jsf?text=&docid=78182&pageIndex=0&doclang=en&mode=lst&dir=&occ=first&part=1&cid=491856

Photo by Michele Agius

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