2025 Spring Hunting Season for Quail) Regulations, 2025

L.N. 73 of 2025

ENVIRONMENT PROTECTION ACT

(CAP. 549)

Conservation of Wild Birds (Declaration on a Derogation for a

2025 Spring Hunting Season for Quail) Regulations, 2025

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred by articles 54 and 55 of

the Environment Protection Act, the Minister responsible for the

environment in conjunction with the Minister for Gozo and Planning

and after consultation with the Environment and Resources Authority,

and after taking into consideration the recommendations of the Ornis

Committee, has made the following regulations:-

(1) The title of these regulations is the Conservation of

Wild Birds (Declaration on a Derogation for a 2025 Spring Hunting

Season for Quail) Regulations, 2025 and these regulations shall be

read in conjunction with the Framework for Allowing a Derogation

Opening a Spring Hunting Season for Turtle Dove and Quail

Regulations.

(2) These regulations are being issued in line with Article 9 of

Directive 2009/147/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

of 30 November 2009 on the conservation of wild birds, hereinafter

referred to as the "Birds Directive".

(3) For the purposes of these regulations and within the

meaning of Article 9 of the Birds Directive, the Minister took into

consideration the favourable conservation status of Malta’s reference

population of the Quail, which is "Stable".

Unless the context otherwise requires, the terms and

expressions used in these regulations, shall have the same meaning

assigned to them in the Conservation of Wild Birds Regulations,

hereinafter referred to as the "Wild Birds Regulations" and in the

Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening a Spring Hunting

Season for Turtle Dove and Quail Regulations.

For the purposes of these regulations, the Quail is classified

as a huntable species under Part B of Annex II of the Birds Directive.

In this context, the "small numbers" requirement within the meaning of

Article 9(1)(c) of the Birds Directive shall be understood as "a sample

in the order of one percent (1%) of the total annual mortality of the

population in question". For the purposes of these regulations,

"population in question" shall be understood with regard to these

migratory species, as the population of those regions within the

territory of the European Union from which come the main

contingents passing through the region to which the derogation applies

during its period of application.

The one percent (1%) of the total annual mortality of Calculation of

1% of the total

Malta’s reference population of Quail shall be calculated as follows

annual mortality

of the reference

population.

Quail (Coturnix coturnix)

Minimum breeding success: 4 chicks per pair (30,900 x 4) =

123,600

Minimum clutches per year: 2

Mortality rate of first year birds: (247,200 x 80%) = 197,760

Mortality rate of adult birds: (61,800 x 71%) = 43,878

Total annual mortality: (197,760 + 43,878) = 241,638

1% of total annual mortality: (241,638 x 1%) = 2,416

For the purposes of the fourth proviso to regulation 10(6) of Establishment

the Wild Birds Regulations and for the purposes of these regulations, of

hunting season.

the period for the hunting of Quail in spring 2025 shall be from the S.L. 549.42.

14th April until the 4th of May 2025, both dates included, from two (2)

hours before sunrise until noon

Provided that the provisions of these regulations shall cease

to have effect and no hunting activity shall be permitted in the event

that the Minister orders, by notice in the Gazette or any other notice,

that the spring hunting season shall terminate immediately or at a date

as specified by the Minister.

For the purposes of these regulations, the spring hunting Hunting

season shall be in accordance with the provisions of the framework according

framework.

established by the Framework for Allowing a Derogation Opening a

Spring Hunting Season for Turtle Dove and Quail Regulations and S.L. 549.57.

subject to all the conditions as stipulated in the Spring Hunting

Licence.

(1) The Spring Hunting Licence shall establish the Special licence

overall bag limit for the spring hunting season at two thousand and and quotas.

four hundred (2,400) Quails, as the total number of birds which may be

hunted under the authority of all issued licences taken together.

(2) The Spring Hunting Licence shall cease to have effect in

the event that the Minister orders, by notice in the Gazette or any other

notice, that the spring hunting season shall terminate immediately or at

a date as specified by the Minister.

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