More than 51,000 finches were trapped and kept in captivity during past season, BirdLife says

At least 51,400 finches were trapped from permitted trapping sites and kept in captivity during the past season, with none being released, BirdLife Malta stated.

In a statement on Monday, BirdLife Malta explained that it had conducted systematic observations at trapping sites during this period to assess the impacts of the trapping derogation, which was purportedly for 'scientific research' purposes. 

The NGO said that its evidence collected during fieldwork indicates widespread abuse of the derogation. Despite over 2,600 registered trapping sites last autumn, BirdLife Malta found that many trapping sites were operating illegally, with some only becoming registered with the Wild Birds Regulation Unit after police reports were filed.

The upcoming hearing at the European Court of Justice (ECJ) regarding the smokescreen finch ‘research’ derogation in “Case C-23/23 European Commission v Republic of Malta” has drawn attention to the findings submitted by BirdLife Malta regarding the past finch trapping derogation period from October to December 2023.

Meanwhile in Gozo, BirdLife Malta and the Malta Ranger Unit caught and reported two finch trappers during the closed season.