Hunting from the ground will be permitted between the 1st September 2007 and the 31st January 2008, while hunting at sea will be allowed from the 1st October 2007to the 31st January 2008.  

The trapping season for songbirds will be open from the 1st October 2007 until the 31st January 2008, while that of turtle doves and quail will open from the 1st September 2007 to the 31st January 2008.  

The trapping of blackbirds and golden plovers will be permissible between the 20th October 2007 and the 10th January 2008.  

The government also decided that between the 15th and 30th September 2007, hunting from the ground will stop between 1500CEST up until two hours before sunrise, with the exception of Sundays, where the activity will be allowed until 1300CEST as stipulated by law.  

The decision was taken in a bid to curb abuses since the larger part of birds migrate during these days, late in the afternoon.    

The government appealed hunters and trappers to practice their pastime responsibly. Abuses could land lawbreakers two years of prison or fines up to Lm6,000, along with the revocation of hunting permits and fire arms.    

In its statement the government said that it will not exclude ulterior measures should abuses ensue, since these prejudice law respecting hunters in favour of sustainable hunting.  

In separate news, the Committee against Bird Slaughter (CABS), a German non-governmental organization (NGO), is to organise a bird protection camp in Malta and Gozo during mid-September.  

This camp will include 22 experienced campaigners from Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom with the aim to collect data on the bird migration over the islands and, the influence of illegal hunting on different bird species.  

The organisation and implementation of this camp will be made in close consensus and cooperation with Nature Trust (Malta) and the Maltese Section of International Animal Rescue.  

The principal aim of the operation, said the Committee in a statement on Wednesday, is the deterrence of potential law-breakers by a round-the clock presence of the teams in the main hunting hotspots, and on those stretches of coast important for bird  migration.  

All of the participants in the Malta camp are volunteers, the majority of them are field biologists, bird ringers or professional conservationists.  

The task of the campaign teams on the ground will be that of precise recording of the migration of selected bird species. This will also incorporate the reporting by telephone of instances of illegal hunting to the operational base. In emergency cases, the operational base will contact the police and provide them with all relevant and necessary information.  

“We are only present to observe, record and report; everything else is a matter for the police” the spokesperson for CABS, Heinz Schwarze, explained. 

CABS further stated that the Maltese police have been notified of the operation earlier this year and have signalled their “full support” to the team.  

The NGO emphasised that the volunteer observers will operate in the open and, with their video cameras and binoculars, will be easily recognisable for the hunters. Mr Schwarze stressed that “deterrence through an open and wide-scale presence is more important to us than concealed observation”. Nevertheless, according to CABS, the occasional use of concealed cameras in the bird protection operation cannot be completely ruled out.  

CABS further noted that similar operations in the Gulf of Naples and in Lombardy have provided them with plenty of useful  experience in this field.