[WATCH] Lucas Micallef: ‘Trappers are interested in research because birds are their passion’

Federazzjoni Kaċċaturi Nassaba Konservazzjonisti (FKNK) president Lucas Micallef believes bird trappers are truly interested in research because it allows them to keep pursuing their passion. 

In an interview with MaltaToday, Micallef says trappers are less interested in the actual capture of birds and are more concerned with preserving their lifestyle. 

I sit down with Micallef at the FKNK premises a few days after government reopened the finch trapping season despite a European court decision upholding a ban on the practice. The judgment struck down the scientific research derogation applied by the Maltese government to justify trapping. 

Micallef is unfazed. “The Commission is attacking the derogation which allows research, and this opens Pandora’s box,” he tells me. 

When asked whether one can guarantee that registered bird trappers truly abide by regulations, the FKNK president says no one can be absolutely certain that there will be no abuse. Incidentally, a day after this interview was filmed, news broke of an FKNK council member who was caught illegally trapping birds outside of the season. He has since been sacked from his post within the hunting lobby. 

Micallef notes that Malta’s small size is an advantage because it facilitates accountability. 

Despite the FKNK embracing conservation in its name, the organisation is noticeably absent in protests against environmental degradation and other issues that also impact hunters. Micallef acknowledges this but states that the hunting lobby finds it difficult to protest side by side with “those who want to kick us when we’re already down.”

The following is an excerpt of the interview.  

Watch the full interview also on Facebook and Spotify.

Much was said regarding the trapping derogation about research. But how many from the thousands of registered trappers are truly interested in research? How can one assure that the birds that are trapped will be released? 

In any sector, no one can ensure that abuse is non-existent. Malta is so small that even if you sneeze, everyone will know. I see this as an advantage because anyone violating the law can be seen from everywhere. Those that are caught abusing the system will pay for their actions. 

This year, we're voluntarily collecting more data. We’re looking at the birds’ weight so that we can determine theirs diet and how strong they are when migrating. We look forward to increasing our contribution; we won’t just look for a ring on the bird. We believe that the project can be very interesting. By involving the public in research, we’re not doing anything new or extraordinary.

Yes, but intention is everything at the end of the day. The question is how many trappers are truly interested in research? 

They’re interested because they’re people who have a passion. Hunters and trappers aren’t made, they’re born. New trapping licences haven’t been issued in years, so many of these people are a bit older; surely there are no young trappers. They were born and raised with birds.

People who raise birds care for them all year round. They cannot go on holiday because they need to take care of them. The same goes for bird traps. Just because there are 3,000 trappers in Malta, doesn’t mean there are 3,000 traps, there’s the socio-cultural aspect as well. We’re using traditional methods, which were observed for hundreds of years, while merging it with research. 

This is like hunting. The kill isn’t the most important element, and the same goes for trapping. Being there early in the morning, in the place where you were raised, you’re continuing your lifestyle. That’s why I believe trappers will automatically contribute because they have a passion for birds.

Naturally you’re happy the trapping season has just been opened. But EU institutions can dish out punishments to Malta that would be a burden to everyone, not just hunters and trappers. Don’t you think this is unjust? 

Malta has several cases against the Commission. We always say that the Commission’s fault is the element of dictatorship. It shouldn’t be the case that one size fits all. I cannot act like a Swede and a Swede cannot act like a Mediterranean person.  

Even with the way the media portrays things, it seems like the Commission’s problems with Malta are only hunting and trapping. There are many other current issues at play. 

I ask: “Why can’t I conduct research on birds, but BirdLife Malta has a legal monopoly and no one else can carry out research?”

I think it’s about the intention that we mentioned earlier. BirdLife are not trappers. 

Trapping isn’t the person who goes to the trap. If you go and trap a bird, that’s trapping. Bird ringers use vertical nets and everything that goes through it is trapped, unlike a selective trap. There’s basically no difference. 

Bird ringers can trap birds all year round, they have no season. They can trap in natural reserves, whereas trappers must have registered traps with its coordinates publicly available. There are far more obligations for a trapper that bird ringers don’t have. Bird ringers are almost privileged.

I don’t think anyone can deny that in recent years, the natural environment in Malta has been degraded. What does FKNK say about this? 

I was raised in rural places. People’s lifestyle changed because of the COVID pandemic; we’ve seen that people are now searching for more open spaces. From that time, more people have been buying land to use for recreational purposes. That’s the first challenge; agricultural land is being converted to recreational land. That’s putting extra pressure on food security. 

We have problems related to climate change. Without the environment we cannot hunt or trap. I’ve always said that hunters and trappers are guardians of the environment because we take care of it. We plant trees so that maybe one day we can hunt where we plant, but it doesn’t mean the tree isn’t attracting other flora and fauna. 

In recent years we’ve seen people who have their own land for hunting being unable to use it because development has creeped too close to them. Hunters are like the sacrificial lamb; we’re also feeling the brunt of environmental degradation. We must take care of the few rural lands we have, and they should be enjoyed by everyone.

Discussion on this topic was significant in recent years. Plenty of NGOs have spoken about this degradation, but it seems the FKNK is hesitant to speak up. 

This takes us back to the issue of the media. FKNK has recently spoken about the Ħal Far model aircraft airstrip and we’ve made submissions against the project. We’ve released statements and the media didn’t publish anything...

Yes, but for instance, there were also environmental protests where FKNK was nowhere to be seen. Is it because government appeases you that you stay away from these protests? 

It’s not the case. There are environmental NGOs that we communicate with. We don’t agree on every issue, but we agree on many issues. But when you see individuals and NGOs that don’t tolerate what we do, we cannot protest together with them.

Even if you agree on the issue at stake? 

Why should you eliminate me from everything? We’re not saying they don’t want us to hunt during spring because you don’t agree with it in principle. They’re saying they don’t want us to hunt or trap all year round. 

When you see that kind of communication from NGOs, you can never sit down with them and discuss certain environmental issues. I wish we could, because there’s a lot of common ground, namely climate change and afforestation… 

We wish to participate in certain issues but, in principle we can never do that, because when you see someone who wants to eliminate you, you cannot offer your friendship.