For the first time in nearly four decades, Morocco has reduced the daily bag limit for European Turtle Dove, marking a small yet significant change in the hunting management of the species.
Pour la première fois en près de quatre décennies, le Maroc a réduit le quota quotidien de prélèvement de la Tourterelle des bois, marquant un changement modeste mais significatif dans la gestion cynégétique de l’espèce.
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Did you know that despite being hunted in large numbers, the European Turtle Dove (Streptopelia turtur) is not the favoured target of Moroccan hunters? The Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara) has held that distinction for generations.
Now, let’s dive into the history of the Turtle Dove in Morocco. Sixty years ago, this species wasn’t even considered a game bird, but was classified as a “harmful species” that could be destroyed almost without restrictions. The Decree of the Minister of Agriculture No. 582-62, issued on 3 November 1962, listed the European Turtle Dove among a long list of species considered as “pests” that landowners were permitted to exterminate if they posed a threat to crops.
Here’s the summary of Article 5 from that decree:
“Owners or possessors may destroy on their land, at any time and by any means, except fire, viruses, and bacterial processes: weasels, jackals, otters, mongooses, ferrets, foxes, larks, ravens, crows, starlings, sparrows, magpies, pigeons, and Turtle Doves.”
Over time, this harsh classification shifted, and the number of species classified as pests was drastically reduced.
The hunting era
By the late 1980s, the Turtle Dove had become a regulated game species, complete with specific hunting seasons and limits. Back then, the bag limit was set at 50 birds per hunter per day, with hunting allowed only on Sundays and holidays, and the season opened in mid-May—right in the middle of the breeding period.
While the season start date has been pushed forward over the years—from mid-May to late-July in recent years—the bag limit remained unchanged until recently. At its annual meeting last summer, the Higher Council of Hunting recommended a reduction in the bag limit from 50 to 40 Turtle Doves per hunter per day. This change was implemented in the Annual Hunting Decree for the 2023/2024 season, taking effect in the summer of 2024.
The reaction of Moroccan hunters to the decision was mixed. Some hailed it as a significant step in the right direction for the hunting management of the species in Morocco, while others were more sceptical about its potential effects and called for further reductions in the bag limit.