Financial assistance for fishermen

More than 40 contracts to enable fishermen to upgrade their boats have already been concluded, the director of fisheries Anthony Gruppetta said yesterday.

The contracts with the department of fisheries, include financial assistance which will enable fishermen to install additional security and safety equipment.

In about three weeks time, another 70 contracts will be concluded while another 40 contracts have still to be finalised, he said.

Dr Gruppetta was speaking at a seminar on the EU organised by the National Fisheries Co-operative Ltd and the Ghaqda Ko-operativa tas-Sajd Ltd at St George Band Club in Cospicua. About 70 out of the 320 full-time fishermen attended.

Dr Gruppetta pointed out that the financial assistance the owners received was not linked to the amount of fish landed at the fish market but to the size of the boat.

Financial assistance was higher for those fishermen who fished outside the 25-mile limit fisheries conservation zone.

Fisheries Minister Ninu Zammit said the financial packet for this upgrading exercise amounted to Lm2.4 million.

He said the funds as well as the assistance to fishermen to buy duty free diesel came from taxes, yet the Labour Party was against financial assistance derived from taxation.

Such assistance would therefore stop if the march towards EU membership was halted, the minister observed.

Replying to questions Dr Gruppetta, said Tunisia had signed a commercial agreement with the EU as had Egypt and Morocco. Tunisia sold fish to Italy and Spain but there was no reason to fear that Tunisian fishermen would be able to unload their fish catches in Malta, he said.

In order to export fish to other countries, the Tunisians would have to land their catches in Tunis and pack it according to EU regulations before exporting fish, Dr Gruppetta explained.

The director of fisheries said the fishing registry was still open for the issue of new licences. The new fishing regulation took into account sport fishing charters, and operators in this field would be able to apply for a licence once the regulations are published.

Mr Zammit said that between 2004 and 2006 over Lm1.5 million from the EU fund known as the Financial Instruments for Fisheries Guidance would boost the fishing industry including the development of port facilities at Marsaxlokk.

Part of these funds would be used for the setting up of a fish processing plant.

The seminar was addressed by Ronald Gallimore, EU ambassador for Malta and Enzo Reale from the EU in Brussels among others.

Mr Dimitrios Kotsorgios, president of the Confederation of Greek Fishermen and Professor K. Koutsikopoulos who were scheduled to address the seminar did not make it to Malta.