The European Commission is to look into Libya's controversial decision to create a so-called Libyan Fishing Preservation Zone in the Mediterranean, which Maltese fishermen say will have catastrophic consequences on the size of their catches.

Fishermen contacted yesterday said their catches could drop by half if Libya decided to forge ahead with its decision to establish an area of fishing "under Libya's sovereignty 62 miles from the line of the regional sea".

A spokesman for EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said the commissioner could not intervene in issues related to demarcation lines but would get involved in issues that ultimately affected fishing rights.

"The Commission is to contact member states about the matter and the issue may be raised at a meeting between the Commission and the member states later this week," the spokesman said.

The Libyan government surprised the European Commission, the United Nations and its neighbouring states when it informed them that any kind of fishing, either local or foreign, was forbidden in this zone unless authorisation was granted according to the laws and regulations of the Jamahariya.

Malta's Foreign Ministry immediately expressed its concern and requested more information from the Libyan authorities. In a note verbale to the Libyan government, the ministry said that on the basis of the information provided, the decision would affect the historical fishing grounds of Maltese fishermen who used traditional fishing methods fully consistent with conservation policies.

A spokesman said the Maltese government was still waiting for the coordinates from the Libyan government and there was no point in getting involved in a controversy before the facts were established.

The government has requested the suspension of the application and of the enforcement of the decree and has asked its Libyan counterparts to start a dialogue on coordinating a common approach to the preservation of fisheries in the area.

The issue is however mired in murky waters.

A fisheries expert told The Times that Libya was within the parameters of international law since the 62-mile zone did not go beyond Libya's demarcation line. A fisheries conference held in Venice in 2003 actually encouraged countries to establish specific fisheries zones.

However, states are normally requested to consult their neighbours before taking action - in this case Libya took a unilateral decision.

The National Fisheries' Cooperative yesterday urged the government to rope in the EU over the matter.

"The repercussions of this decision are massive on all fishermen - be they Maltese, Italian or French. The EU should take the cue and act at once," cooperative secretary Ray Bugeja said.

He said Libya had not presented any scientific report to justify its decision.

In a statement, the cooperative explained that because of their fishing methods, the fishermen that made use of this zone of the Mediterranean could not operate within the 25-mile Maltese conservation zone. The area where they could fish was now being whittled down by 100 miles.

The cooperative criticised Libya for failing to specify the exact coordinates of the zone.

It said Libya was also bound to discuss the issue with the General Fisheries Committee for the Mediterranean before taking such a decision.

While thanking the government for its diplomatic efforts to find a solution, the cooperative said that should both the Maltese government and the EU fail to find a solution, it would then be requesting a similar zone for Maltese fishermen.

Mediterranean fisheries play an important socio-economic role in the European fishing industry. Around 106,000 fishermen are employed on over 40,000 vessels, representing 42 per cent of the employment in the EU fishing sector.

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