Hunting season in Portugal. (1 Viewer)

[johnny boy]

The hunting season has started here in the Algarve Portugal. Where it is leagal to shoot Blackbirds and Thrushes. The Portugues als trap and eat such small birds as Sardinian Warblers, Porugal is a very friendly country its such a shame that this is the tradition here.:C

 

[lashinala]

johnny boy, do they do this in the Azores also, or just on the mainland? Just curious.

 

[Mick Sway]

Hunting Season

Unfortunately the hunters were popping off at Lagoa do Salgados (Pera) when we were in the Algarve a couple of weeks ago.
One day in March some years ago whilst staying near Espiche, we called at a small rural Taverna for a meal and were offered "stuffed little birds", needless to say we declined.
Similar traditions go on all over the Med, to a certain extent I can excuse game birds for eating, but it doesn't stop there.
The hunting excesses of Malta and Cyprus are well documented.
I believe that with the worsening economic situation all over Europe, the hunting culture will come more to the for and has the potential to do a lot of damage to endemic and migrating birds .
Unfortunately governments have other things on their minds at the moment.
Regards
Mick
:gn:

The hunting season has started here in the Algarve Portugal. Where it is leagal to shoot Blackbirds and Thrushes. The Portugues als trap and eat such small birds as Sardinian Warblers, Porugal is a very friendly country its such a shame that this is the tradition here.:C

 

[johnny boy]

not sure about the Azores, But it is leagle throughout Portugal.

 

[Simon Wates]

not sure about the Azores, But it is leagle throughout Portugal.

Hi Johnny boy

Hunting legislation in the Azores is the same as in mainland Portugal except for some slight differences as to what species may or may not be hunted (can't remember the details just now).

Netting (non-ringers) of any sort is strictly prohibited in Portugal and these illegal activities are now actually pretty rare. The illegal cage-bird trade is not rife in Portugal.

Trapping (using wire mouse-traps) of passerines for eating is still a problem, although much less frequent than a few years ago and seems to be gradually dying out. My view on this is that education is the way forward (much good work in this respect has been done - in Portuguese of course!). This activity is strictly prohibited by law and nowadays SEPNA - the nature police act on clear evidence. I act by removing and safely disposing these traps when I occasionally find them - I have never caught anybody in the act - and if I did I would try and talk with them, I would have to consider very carefully to report them though!

As for legal hunting my views on this are as follows:

Conservationists etc. and the hunting community have come together in the last 20 years or so and many positive advances have been made. Portuguese hunters are some of the best behaved in the Mediterranean region and rarely break the law - in 1000's of days out in the field in the last 15 years I have only seen illegalities twice and none recently.

The Portuguese basically shoot what they can when they can where they can by law and pay a small fortune annually for licenses etc in order to do so. I hate hunting for sport/eating but I would never say so within certain circles and I cannot help but respect them at some level.

What most really needs changing is legislation regarding the species that are legal tender (to be shot). Blackbirds were added to this list earlier this year but were quickly taken off after an uproar from many Portuguese. Unfortunately 4 species remain legal tender that I believe should be urgently taken off the list:

Song Thrush (winter)
Redwing (winter)
Turtle Dove (autumn migration)
Golden Plover (winter)

This is a job between the people, especially the NGO's in Portugal and the Portuguese government. It is very risky to point fingers at the hunters themselves I think as they are pretty much a law-abiding bunch.

As for the remainder there isn't anything (I can think of offhand) that cannot be shot in the UK (for eg) and include some duck, Snipe, Red-legged Partridge, Woodpigeons, Stock Dove, Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon, Deer, Wild Boar, Rabbit and (Iberian) Hare.

Each species can only be hunted during certain periods and nothing can be hunted outside the period between 15th Aug and 15th Feb. Thursdays, Sundays and bank holidays are the hunting days and in some areas Saturdays.

What isn't true at all is what I hear regularly from mainly foreign residents here is that the Portuguese hunters shoot everything that moves - this actually makes me quite angry.

I see you live in/near Lagos - so do I!

Best wishes

Simon

 

[Pedro Ramalho]

Where it is leagal to shoot Blackbirds and Thrushes. The Portugues als trap and eat such small birds as Sardinian Warblers,

Actually its illegal to hunt Blackbirds, and when a propose was made to legalize the hunting of blackbirds the hunters were in a general way against it since they have no interest in the species.

The trapping of small birds for food it’s still frequent in the Algarve but it’s very rare in the rest of the country, it’s illegally, but in that case I’m afraid that the solution is waiting for the older generations to pass away.

 

[Pedro Ramalho]

Conservationists etc. and the hunting community have come together in the last 20 years or so and many positive advances have been made. Portuguese hunters are some of the best behaved in the Mediterranean region and rarely break the law.

The worst period regarding hunting was after the revolution in 1975, when basically everything was permitted, now a days thins are much better, I stil think that the hunting of turtle dove and of the thrushes that don’t bred in Portugal must be reconsidered, but must hunters manly hunt managed species, and the illegally shooting of raptors and other birds is increasingly rare and in a recent case evolving a imperial Eagle the discussion of the case was very interesting it many hunters strongly opposed to the crime. Must of the birds of prey have stable populations in Portugal and some are increasing, others birds that are subject to illegal hunting like crows and ravens are also increasing. And for black vultures the Herdades that promote dear hutting were a life safer.

So, hunting is still a problem in some ways, and illegal trapping also, but things are improving.

 

[johnny boy]

Thank you Simon and Pedro for your very intersting and learnerd comments. I am pleased to learn that Blackbirds have been removed from the list. I do a fair amount of walking in the country side and have in the past collected over 30 pole traps which where handed into the GNR in Lagos. informing them the area where they where found. I am pleased to say that the mounted police did visit these sites where the traps where found.

Kindest regards.
John.