Fish landings increase by more than 40%

Fish landings in the second quarter this year increased by 42.7 percent over the same period last year with 367,752 kilogrammes of fish being landed.

The increase was in most of the major species, with the exception of Stone Bass which declined by 23.8 percent. Blue Fin Tuna, the dominant species landed during the period, went up by 30.4 percent over, the NSO said.

The wholesale value of landings increased by 11.8 percent, or €244,759, to €2,312,407.

Whereas the wholesale value of Swordfish rose by 18.3 percent on account of a higher catch, the average price per kilogramme declined by 1.5 percent.

The wholesale value of landed Tuna rose marginally by 2.9 percent as increases in Tuna landings were mitigated by a decline of 21.1 percent in the wholesale price per kilogram.

The period under review saw Maltese fishermen landing 266,957 kilogrammes of fresh fish, an increase of 18.2 percent over the comparative period in 2008.

The second quarter was characterised by a 12.4 and 18.2 percent increase in Blue Fin Tuna and Swordfish landings, respectively. These two species made up 74.2 percent of the total landings by Maltese fishermen.

Fish landings by Maltese fishermen represented 72.6 percent of the total landings, down by 15 percentage points over the second quarter of 2008.

The wholesale value of fish landings by Maltese fishermen increased by €35,486 (+1.9 per cent) when compared to the second quarter of 2008. During this period, the average price per kilogramme of Shrimp and Blue Fin Tuna declined by 17 and 21.5 percent, respectively, while Swordfish prices on average remained unchanged.

Fresh fish landings by Gozitan fishermen increased by 267.1 percent to 93,244 kilogrammes in the second quarter of 2009, mainly due to the 490.8 percent rise in Blue Fin Tuna landings.

As a result of the marked increase in Gozitan fishermen's landings, the percentage share of the latter with respect to total landings rose to 25.4 percent.

The spike in the volume of fresh fish landings was also reflected in the increase in the wholesale value generated by these fishermen. Indeed, the wholesale value of landings by Gozitan fishermen amounted to €370,360 and represented a 109.6 percent increase when compared to the second quarter of 2008.

Fresh fish landings by foreign-flagged vessels registered an increase in volume of 16.4 percent to 7,551 kilogrammes in the second quarter of 2009.

Fish landings by foreign-flagged vessels represented 2.1 percent of the total catch. Their wholesale value increased by 56.9 percent, from €27,362 in the second quarter of 2008 to €42,940 in the corresponding period this year.

The quarterly 'All Items' fresh fish price index for the second quarter of 2009 stood at 139.45 points, down by 33.55 points (-19.4 percent) over the comparative period in 2008, on account of an increase in the supply of fresh fish on the market.

This increase was reflected in the quarterly 'All Items' fresh fish volume index, which stood at 110.03 points, corresponding to a 32.93 point gain or 42.7 percent increase over the corresponding period in 2008.