Fishermen reach compromise on tuna

This year's tuna quota is likely to be divided among individual fishermen and calculated on their average catch over the past years, according to a compromise reached by fishermen's representatives yesterday.

The Fisherman's Cooperative, the National Fisheries Cooperative and the Fisheries Department agreed that licensed fishermen using long lines that would not be able to fish for tuna since they did not make the lowest quota available, would be assisted by the government to scrap their vessels, sources said.

They would then be able to sell their quota, which may be too small to make up one fish, to another fisherman.

This compromise was reached yesterday during a meeting between the two cooperatives and the Fisheries Department. It is not final since it awaits the final seal of Cabinet, sources said.

The two cooperatives had been disagreeing over the way to handle Malta's tuna quota that was slashed to 161 tonnes in a decision taken by EU ministers.

The downsizing was made in terms of a stock recovery plan that was agreed at a meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.

This decision dropped Malta's quota down more than 45 per cent from 2007. The quota then was 355 tonnes and it has gone down steadily since, to 331 tonnes in 2008 and 262 tonnes last year. Tuna is one of the main sources of income for Maltese fishermen.

The National Fisheries Cooperative had been requesting an individual quota for every fisherman on the basis of the average catch of the past 15 years - a system adopted last year.

The Fisherman's Cooperative suggested that all fishermen be put in one basket, and fishing would stop once the quota was attained.

During yesterday's meeting a compromise was reached after the Fisherman's Cooperative argued that under last year's system, some 20 fishermen would end up without a quota, sources said.

These included fishermen who had not been fishing for tuna for the past 15 years and their average was, therefore, low. The cooperatives insisted on safeguarding the interests of these fishermen.

It was agreed that those licensed long-liners that would not make the quota would be assisted by the government to benefit from a scheme to scrap their boats. These fishermen could then sell their quota.