Over 1,800 bird trapping sites have been tracked on a Google map of Malta

A Google map pinpointing some 1,800 trapping sites owned by 1,400 trappers licenced to catch Golden Plover and Song Thrush has been uploaded by a member of the German conservationist group CABS (Campaign Against Bird Slaughter). 

The map does not show the 5,000 other trapping sites occupied by traditional trappers who have been catching finches, a practice outlawed by the European Union’s Birds Directive. 

The trapping sites will now be visible on a public website run by the Wild Birds Regulation Unit.

SEE THE GOOGLE MAP here

Under the new rules for trapping, trappers can only use one site for trapping, and will be granted a national quota to catch 5,000 Song Thrush and 700 Golden Plover. 

A minimum of 40 police officers will also have to carry out spot checks during all hours for when an autumn live-capturing season is open, according to new parameters announced this week. The new live-trapping season will open on Saturday. 

The new rules require two officers to be on duty outside trapping hours, with police obliged to carry out “daily systematic spot checks” in each separate region for trapping. 

Police officers will be legally obliged to cooperate with NGOs whose representatives may be assigned by the Wild Birds Regulations Unit (WBRU) to assist in on-site inspections. 

The coordinates of all approved stations will be made public by the WBRU at least three days before the start of the season. 

The new rules will also see license holders register one live-trapping site, rather than two as was previously permissible, with each site allowed a maximum of two nets. 

A decision handed down by the European Court of Justice declared that Malta’s derogation from the ban on finch trapping is illegal.