• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

60.000 finches to be killed in Catalonia!! (1 Viewer)

Carles Oliver

Carles Oliver

Well-known member
The Catalan Government has approved a new edict that is allowing to hunt over 60.000 finches in Catalonia next winter.
All green associations in the country have protested against this crazy law but was approved in the Parliament by the three main political parties.
The species to be hunt includes Goldfinch (6.504), Greenfinch (3.490) and Linnet (3.367) but are Chaffinch who is gonna take bigger piece of all since 46.800 of them will be killed.
The populations of some of these birds are growing last years (overall Chaffinch) but Linnet is a more scarce species every time.
A saw an article some weeks ago about how Lebanon people were killing lots of migratory birds. So I see that in Europe we till have lot of work to do in order to preserve our nature.

Is there any hunt like this in other European countries?
 
That's outrageous news. Is there a hidden agenda here as there is in most countries when they hide behind conservation as an excuse to slaughter birds?
 
I fear things will turn worse for Wildlife in Spain now that they have a new righ-wing government - the type that tends to pander to extreme elements in the hunting lobby. Surly this is breaking a whole host of EU directives on the protection of wild birds??:C
 
Although to sell passerines in pubs or restaurants is absolutely forbidden, there're people that use to eat them. It's just few people.
But, in fact, this hunt is not about eat them... Unfortunately there's an old South Spain tradition about singing birds. So they hunt them alive just to listen them sing, make them breed and make sing contest...
 
Abolition of bullfighting was a great moment for me and 80% of people here. Though really few people like this kind of "spectacle" in Catalonia. But it is not a closed chapter, yet Spanish Government is gonna try to say this abolition was illegal and the Spanish Supreme Court we'll decide about it in coming months.
 
bkrownd said:
What's the purpose of this "hunt". Catalans eat goldfinches?
Click to expand...


Exactly my question.

I hunt, have hunted my whole life, and will until my dying days. While it seems I'd be in a miniscule minority here, I make no apologies for it. However in my way of thinking, a hunt is not only about what you are doing but also why. It all becomes table fare for my family.

WHY are they "hunting" 60,000 finches?

Good grief how much meat is on a finch!? What ecological harm could a finch do? Do they eat them? stuff them? sell them? Or is it literally just a shooting event?

It sounds like "killing" would be a more appropriate term.
 
Well, they are not gonna shoot them down, but capture them to make sing contests and exchange them for other specimens... But this the excuse. The Government is gonna allow 60.000 captures but in fact there's no way to now how many of them well be capture and how many of them we'll be illegally eat or even serve in the background of restaurants in small villages.
Personally I'm not against hunting. But I understand hunting as a way to manage some species and not so much as a pleasure activity.
 
Very disappointed about Spanish politics, no matter if left or right... The only guarantee to respect wilderness in Spain is coming from Brussels!!|8.|

Irish Kite said:
I fear things will turn worse for Wildlife in Spain now that they have a new righ-wing government - the type that tends to pander to extreme elements in the hunting lobby. Surly this is breaking a whole host of EU directives on the protection of wild birds??:C
Click to expand...
 
Catalonia explains this "exception" to the Wild Birds Directive as a traditional and selective activity that is closely controlled. On and off I've been giving identification classes to the Catalan Rural Guards for the last 7 or 8 years, so that they are capable of identifying the species involved and whether or not they are males (it is only permitted to capture a quota of males of the four species mentioned, nothing else). Goldfinches are of course the toughest ones to sex. ANyway, what it means is that a fair bit of taxpayers money is spent on policing this "exception to the rule" in Catalonia, to make sure that no illegal methods are used, that the quotas are respected and that only males are taken.
Needless to say, this is expensive, ineffective and frustrating for the guards who are well aware that even when they do catch someone red-handed if there's any penalty at all it will not be big enough to act as a deterrent to further misdemeanours. These birds are supposedly destined for singing competitions, but it's a well-known secret that there is a thriving illegal trade in songsters for the frying pan.
Like with other conservation issues, unless Spain or Catalonia is singled out and severly reprimanded by Brussels this situation can only worsen.Sorry I can't be more optimistic than that!

Steve
 
Yet another madness to happen in the BIRD MURDER TRIANGLE ,get really sick of reading the same stuff signing the petitions and nothing happening .Just makes you realise not to take any bird or wildlife for granted . Makes you want to get militant
Depressing ain't it
 
Last edited:
Warning! This thread is more than 12 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Similar threads

dragnil
Urgent - the birds in Italy need your help
Replies
4
Views
554
SueO
SueO
Lerxst
Good News - US court helping birds
Replies
4
Views
639
Jim M.
J
wolfbirder
Morocco Marvels and Meanderings 21 - 28 March 2023
2 3
Replies
41
Views
5K
wolfbirder
wolfbirder
locustella
Photographing protected birds - regulations
Replies
2
Views
899
locustella
locustella
wolfbirder
Trying to sweep up in Southern Israel 21-26 February 2020
2 3 4
Replies
78
Views
13K
wolfbirder
wolfbirder

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top