Tuna ranch firm claims it has been prevented from buying its fish quota

A tuna ranch company yesterday filed a judicial letter in the First Hall of the Civil Court holding the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries responsible for the damages it claimed it sustained.

AJD Tuna Ltd told the court it was licensed to carry out tuna farming in local waters. Fish caught by countries that were signatories to the International Conference for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) and purchased by AJD Tuna Ltd were fattened in the company's farms.

AJD Tuna said that it bought fish under the terms laid down by ICCAT to an annual quota of 3,200 tonnes of tuna.

The company claimed the fisheries director had illegally and abusively prevented it from buying tuna on the pretext that the department was enforcing a European Commission regulation.

This meant that the director was stopping the company from purchasing tuna that had been legally caught by other states according to the regulations stipulated by ICCAT.

As a result of the director's actions, AJD Tuna had not been able to acquire its permitted quota.

The company added that proceedings were pending before the European Court of Justice to impugn the European Court regulation quoted by the director.

AJD added that it was suffering damages as a result of the director's actions. The company requested the director to allow it to buy its quota of tuna and to make good the damages it had suffered.

Lawyer John Refalo acted for AJD Tuna Ltd.