The Kooperativa Nazzjonali tas-Sajd yesterday contradicted a statement issued by Agriculture Minister Ninu Zammit, who said that no incidents with foreign fishermen had been reported this year, following an agreement reached between local and foreign fishermen last year.

The fishermen's cooperative claimed that Italian fishermen using purse seines had damaged equipment belonging to Maltese tuna fishermen.

This was in breach of an agreement with Italian fishermen not to hinder the work of Maltese fishermen, which had been reached last year following heated arguments at sea during the tuna fishing season.

In fact, the cooperative said, equipment owned by Mr Raymond Bugeja, secretary of the cooperative, was only yesterday damaged by a trawler belonging to foreign purse seine fishermen.

The cooperative said tug boats towing cages had also caused damage to Maltese fishermen's equipment.

Cooperative PRO Ivan Portanier explained that tug boats tow cages filled with tuna caught by fishermen and destined for tuna farms, often belonging to companies in Malta.

The agriculture minister said in his statement that an incident which had resulted in the loss of parts of the fishing lines belonging to Maltese fishermen had not been caused by other foreign fishermen but had occurred when tuna cages were being towed.

The minister was referring to media reports on difficulties encountered by Maltese fishermen some 60 miles to the south of Malta.

He said that from information supplied to him by the fishermen, the problem did not involve any foreign fishermen.

Mr Zammit said that apart from this, the government continued to give its assistance to Maltese fishermen by issuing regulations prohibiting spotter planes from using Malta as a base when they are on the lookout for tuna. These regulations had produced the desired result, he said.

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