Autonomous lists, bounded by national and European protection
Communities declare the huntable species, but may never reach species that are protected or prohibited by the Union.
Article 65.1 of Act 42/2007 lays down the basic rule: «La caza y la pesca en aguas continentales sólo podrá realizarse sobre las especies que determinen las Comunidades autónomas, declaración que en ningún caso podrá afectar a las especies incluidas en el Listado de Especies en Régimen de Protección Especial, o a las prohibidas por la Unión Europea.» The list is therefore autonomous but bounded: a community may restrict, never open beyond the protected floor. Article 65.3(b) adds a general and permanent prohibition: hunting birds is forbidden during the rutting, breeding and rearing period, and during the return journey to nesting sites for migratory species. Finally, only the species determined by regulation may be marketed, alive or dead, in accordance with international conventions and Union law.