Lampuki catches have so far been so abundant this year that a number of fishermen who usually continue fishing for swordfish have this time round switched to fishing for the predatory fish, a senior fisheries official said when contacted.
The lampuka is known by such names as dolphin fish or dorado, the latter referring to the golden hue that the fish has, apart from its rainbow of colours. It is proving this season a boon to those who want to include more fish in their diet but cannot afford the usual high prices.
The abundant catches have led market prices to plummet as they used to in the past, with consumers being offered the fish at 50 cents a kilo on certain days last week. There was never a better bargain, and fishmongers have revelled in their hyperboles.
According to statistics kept at the Fisheries Department, 296 tonnes of lampuki worth Lm206,000 were landed at the Valletta fish market till last Thursday.
This amount of lampuki in weight but not in cash is by far the largest during the past four years. In 2000, the catch amounted to 104 tonnes, netting Lm144,000 - up to the end of the lampuki season in January; in 2001, the catch for that period weighed in at 223 tonnes, bringing in Lm240,000; in 2002 the catch was 154 tonnes at Lm207,000; while last year, fishermen landed 227 tonnes sold at Lm174,000 for the entire season.
"Good weather has made for big catches. The good weather has held since September 20," the fisheries officer explained.
Charles Azzopardi, of Azzopardi Fisheries of St Paul's Bay, who is known for his knack for marketing fish, is investing in setting up a factory and cold stores where the lampuki will be cleaned and filleted to be exported to Europe and North Africa among other places. Azzopardi Fisheries are already exporting lampuki.
"If you preserve the fish as soon as it is brought ashore, it will have a shelf life of 18 months. The lampuki forms part of orders containing other fish including tuna, swordfish and bottom feeding fish such as stone bass - the dott; large scorpion fish - the cippullazz, dentex - denci and squid - klamari.
"The problem at the moment is that there are no commercial cold stores on the island and this defeats the good returns that can be made once good catches are landed.
"Since Azzopardi Fisheries took part in a fish fair in Brussels, exports of fish including lampuki have become a regular thing, particularly to Amsterdam, Cologne, Frankfurt and London.
"Currently, we are preparing 15 tonnes of lampuki for export to Libya," Mr Azzopardi added.
Mr Azzopardi said the last time such abundant catches of lampuki were recorded was in 1994.
The lampuki season starts in mid-August and extends into January.
The Fisheries Department allows each fisherman a 'line', rimja, along which the floats (kannizzati), made of palm fronds and known also as fish aggregating devices, are laid.
The floats build up oceanic growth which in turn sets up a food chain for the dolphin fish. As the lampuki seek the shade and food of the floats they are rounded up and netted.
Lampuki tend to follow a different path every season, mostly depending on the trail they follow in search of food. They feed mostly on flying fish, squid and white bait.