Twenty-five trawlers belonging mostly to Italian fishermen were moored at the quay close to the fish market in Valletta over the weekend, bringing to mind to those who saw them the tuna war of last year between Maltese and Italian fishermen after the Maltese claimed that their long lines (knuz) had been destroyed by a tug boat dragging a tuna pen in its wake.
But it is hoped the difficulties between the two sides will not recur - the two Maltese fishing cooperatives have signed an agreement with the Italian fishermen`s cooperative in a bid to avoid the fiery clashes that erupted last year, National Fisheries Cooperative spokesman Ivan Portanier recalled when contacted.
Tuna catches are regulated by ICCAT - the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
Foreign fishermen are allowed to moor here by the port authorities - Italian, French and Spanish fishermen use Grand Harbour as a base during the tuna season, which stretches between the last week in April and mid-July, Mr Portanier said.
Mr Portanier said foreign fishermen left Grand Harbour whenever they were alerted by spotter planes that they had spotted a school of tuna.
These fishermen use purse seine nets to catch tuna alive which they then transfer to a pen that is pulled along by a tug boat. Once the pen is full, the tuna are transferred to tuna pens in the Mediterranean for fattening.
Fisheries director Anthony Gruppetta said when contacted it was normal practice for port authorities to allow craft to come in when they ask to moor here.
For the past 10 years or so, Italian fishing boats have been making use of Grand Harbour regularly. However, they cannot fish in Maltese territorial waters, Dr Gruppetta said.
"A large pen could cover a surface area as large as a football pitch. The tug boat moves at an extremely slow pace - about half a knot and it is extremely easy for pen to snag and destroy the long lines used by Maltese fishermen. A long line - konz - could be 40 miles long.
"Damage is caused when the hooks of the long lines are caught in the mesh of the tuna pen. In order to reduce the risk of such damage, the agreement between Maltese and Italian fishermen stipulates that the Italians will pay for three Maltese boats and crew to guide them through areas where lines are placed.
"The agreement specifies three zones - hence the need for three boats - where Maltese fishermen will be fishing using the traditional method of long lines.
"Long lines contain hundreds of hooks and damage could cost thousands of liri, apart from disrupting catches," Mr Portanier said.
The three Maltese boats and crew are paid different rates - one rate for standing by and another for going out to sea to direct the tug boat away from the long lines.