Blow for Malta bluefin tuna trade

Albert Bezzina

Sep 12th 2009, 19:29

Sustainability is a word that seems to be made of chewing gum. Total ban is the only way. A partial ban means that there will still be a market for tuna with consequent abuse of the quotas. Unfortunately blue fin tuna cannot be made into cuddly soft toys like giant pandas so it is difficult to get popular support even from learned persons like politicians who have scarce knowledge of the dynamics involved in what is effective sustainability. The extinction of a top predator such as the blue fin tuna is a huge loss comparable to the loss of other cuddlier terrestrial species. I am sorry, when a market for goods disappears, workers are laid off and society has to help. When species of any sort are endangered, the workers harvesting such species have to be laid off too.

Joe Fenech

Sep 10th 2009, 19:51

Why do we still have to base our profits on an endangered species? It's like the Africans who are still poaching their own elephants!

A. Borg

Sep 9th 2009, 22:48

It is not a blow for Malta but a benefit to our children as the Mediterranean is a dying sea.

cecil herbert jones

Sep 9th 2009, 21:18

@Julian Borg
Your comments are right, however not entirely correct regarding the rabbits in Malta. The local industry in this instance relies heavily on imports of rabbits from California and New Zealand, which indicates that we made the rabbit extinct over here for quite some time ago.

Of course we can import Tuna so the Maltese can still savour the fish but we cannot breed catch and export it for now for the reasons rightly so outlined by the EU directive.

J Abela

Sep 9th 2009, 19:48

Will North African and east Mediterranean countries do the same? If not than what a waste of time!

NBorg

Sep 9th 2009, 18:36

@IGalea

There are a large number of pans 12-15km off Malta.. The main issue is not the proximity to the coast but the fact that purse -seiners clean up wherever they fish and leave nothing behind. Very efficient but that leaves no young to grow up to become adults. It is not one nation doing this - boats sell to the highest bidder, regardless of nationality.

If you kill of the migrating patterns, then eventually there won't be any left that will be able to recreate the cycle. Do you want your children's children, or worse, your children to ask " What's a Tuna ?"

I certainly dont..

I love eating Tuna but I would rather forgo it than watch it become extinct. And just because everyone else is doing it doesn't make it right to do it too.. and leaving the EU just to carry on Tuna fishing? ...not even worth commenting on!

Robert Bersculionio

Sep 9th 2009, 17:25

Humans are eating up all the fish in the world, this is creating a Jellyfish boom which futher complicates the fish problem, because these Jellyfish eat the baby fish fry before they become adults. If we just fish in the ocean every 3rd year they can recover. But NOOO HUMANS ARE GREEDY!

Edward Camilleri

Sep 9th 2009, 16:39

This is not a blow to Malta, but a salvation in the long term. We cannot continue killing every creature that exist until none are left.

As far as I know, a couple of years ago, a Japanese company had highlighted the plight of the blue fin tuna. These people don't normally care a lot about wildlife, therefore if they said that blue fin tuna stocks have dwindled to a point beyond recovery, this is something! We cannot continue ignoring all warnings, some day or another we have to face this situation.

Having stocks at 18% of 1970 is a blasphemy. Mr Joe Borg should ensure the survival of this species. This cannot be done by reducing a small percentage of the quota. Only a total ban may help this species.

A good indication of the health level of our sea is the level of jellyfish around. Year after year jellyfish are continuously invading beaches. Why? Isn't one factor being the lack of large fish which normally eat these jellyfish? This problem with dwindling stock is not just Blue fin tuna, it is on several large species. Blue fin tuna is being discussed only because of the large commercial interest!

Rose Mallia

Sep 9th 2009, 16:32

Dak li jigrilu min ghandu ghajnejh ikbar minn zaqqu!!! Yes it is a blow to one family plus all those who work with them (some of whom I konw well) but hasn't this been in the coming for a long time!??! Now we can expect one of these two things 1)--either the businessman in question running riot and claiming this or that or 2)---the government to pander and let this businessman continue as if nothing has happened (in a few words "ibazwar l'hawn u jbazwar l'hemm!!)

r cutajar

Sep 9th 2009, 15:08

and MALTA lauded itself as a " SEA SAVIOUR " because way back -please correct me if i am wrong - was it 1979 that a bold step was taken by malta to highlight the oceans' importance
unluckily Malta proved otherwise when it came to really show its mettle

B Sciberras

Sep 9th 2009, 14:00

What most of us fail to realise is that fish, any fish, populations do not just bounce back in a year or two... Those beautiful 2 meter long tuna that everyone used to enjoy 10 and 20 years ago take 5-7 years to grow! Just leaving a population to a couple of years to bounce back is is just delaying what is already happening - the depletion of a species. Tuna travel thousands of miles each year and have a multitude of natural predators to avaid in the oceans and seas. All of the blue sharks and barracuda that we here about around Malta are some of the top predators of Tuna, we can't blame them though, they have a limit to their dietary requirements; but people are gluttons! We can eat anything, the Maltese maybe aren't so bad for this point on tuna but many mainlanders don't even bat an eye to it.

I think this will be good for the entire trans-Atlantic region.

J. Borg

Sep 9th 2009, 12:32

So our "leaders" have been closing their eyes and more, because of what they alleged millions pumped into our ecomony (or is it their party?) from the tuna exploitation industry.

Now, after all these years, we are dumped with a bunh of super rich individuals, complemented by polluted bays and seabed, beyond any immediate "repair", and which are no longer enticing to the tourists we really depend on.

An in the meantime, the Minister and Government on whose watch all this short-term illusion was perpetrated, still retain their posts, pension and all - complemented by a "free" periodic yacht trip with such poor fish farm magnates!

isn't it about time that we clean our bays and shores from such abuse?
If not, who will ever shoulder the responsibility, and cough out money for the priceless that we are losing?

M.Galea

Sep 9th 2009, 12:21

Quite honestly, the blow doesn't concern the general public, I would say. The price of tuna this year was extremely high and was only affordable to very few people, or to single persons. I can honestly say that tuna was never on our family menu this year. I'm no expert but I don't really care about the export drops for the few businessmen; I'm sure they'll resort to farming some other fish.

lgalea

Sep 9th 2009, 12:07

E Vella
Agree with you.

The problem is not Maltese fishermen but mostly Spanish fishermen who destroy every fishing ground they are allowed to fish in. Ask the British how they destroyed the north Sea fisheries including British fisheries.

One aspect which is not being considered is that although the eu may ban Tuna fishing, other non-member States will continue fishing because they cannot be controlled.

This is not to say that the fish farms should not be moved to at least 12 nautical miles out at sea because they are polluting our sea and beaches which is not only detrimental for us Maltese citizens but also for the other goose that lays the golden egg, tourism. That is why they were not allowed to be set up in other countries.

J.Bonnici

Sep 9th 2009, 12:05

It's not a blow for Malta, it's a blessing.

Sue Mercieca

Sep 9th 2009, 11:31

Many environmental reports have been advocating a ban for quite some time now. The issue really lies with the quotas -- if these were really respected then a ban should not be resorted to. At the end of the day it is truly not that easy to check on quotas and if they were being adhered to. Therefore -- alternate (year in -year out) fishing seasons (with quotas) could be introduced. Like that the fish has more time to grow and multiply. And while we can enjoy some tuna every other year - our children will still enjoy the tuna for years to come.

tony abela

Sep 9th 2009, 11:29

About time too! Maybe we get clean and unpolluted sea to swim in again. The tons of food and chemicals given to tuna penning tuna has surely had an effect on our coastal and bays' sea water. The moving of the tuna penning further out from nearby coastline never materialised.

Raymond Camilleri

Sep 9th 2009, 11:11

BLow for Malta? No ...blow for one family of multi-millionaire 'fishermen'...don't worry they won't die of hunger!

Nigel Lawrence

Sep 9th 2009, 10:59

So, please explain to me, what exactly has the price of Lampuka do do with the stocks situation of bluefin tuna?

Fenech M D

Sep 9th 2009, 10:40

@ Ronald Camilleri

I totally agree.

Yesterday I asked a woman was she selling a kilo of Lampuki; she told me Eur8. We are a family of 5 and we have to buy at least 2 kilos (Euro16). I can't afford to pay Eur16 for 2 kilos of Lampuki.

Guess I have to forget about eating Lampuki again this year!

Julian Borg

Sep 9th 2009, 10:18

@ E Vella ... your reasoning for that statement is?

The selfishness of some people is remarkable. The Mediterranean has been over fished due to a lack of restrictions, for which we're paying the consequences now. What the EU are trying to do is secure the future of the Tuna Fishing Industry by not letting countries such as Malta, Italy, and Spain wipe out the Tuna industry forever.

Let's talk about land based now. What if we wiped out the rabbit population in Malta? No more fenkata tradition and heritage. Wouldn't you want to do something to prevent it?

Ronald Camilleri

Sep 9th 2009, 10:09

serves the maltese fisherman well for making an organised cartel on tuna for the local market and selling it at extraordinary prices when their catches were 30% higher than previous years. all this at a time when people struggle to feed their families enough amounts of fish as recommended. dear fisherman, what goes around comes around. you deserve it.

O Galea

Sep 9th 2009, 10:08

@ Mr. Vella
Don't be so short sighted.
at this rate tomorrow's fishermen won't have any blue fin tuna left to fish and the local aquaculture industry would fail
better cut down for a while, allow fish to recover, fish sensibly and ensure stocks for future

Ian Hulland

Sep 9th 2009, 10:05

Excellent news--best thing I heard in weeks. Finally some action to help the dwindling Tuna.

E Vella

Sep 9th 2009, 09:35

Lets go out of the EU.