Kurt Bugeja Coster
AFM defends tuna pen
Tuna 'legally caught'
Greenpeace activists tried to break open a tuna pen belonging to a local company as it was being towed back to Malta with its catch yesterday afternoon.
The Armed Forces of Malta said a Greenpeace ship, the Arctic Sunrise, tried to sail into the pen and activists on dinghies attempted to tear it open. A second Greenpeace vessel, the Rainbow Warrior, was also present.
The outnumbered fishermen towing the pen radioed for assistance and a patrol boat out at sea and a military helicopter were sent to the scene, the AFM said.
With the activists adamant on freeing the tuna, the patrol boat was forced to block the ships' path and use its fire hoses to repel the protesters in what turned out to be a two-hour-long skirmish 22 nautical miles to the south of the island.
No one was injured in the incident and it is understood that no tuna escaped. But the environmental organisation, describing its actions as "non-violent", claimed that flares were shot at the activists by the fishermen.
The Times' attempts to contact the fishermen out at sea failed due to communication difficulties. The company involved is Ta' Mattew Fish Farms Ltd.
Greenpeace is currently on a crusade against the capture of bluefin tuna to be fattened in captivity and sold later. It has been patrolling the Mediterranean in a bid to thwart the fishermen.
Commenting about its actions yesterday, it said it only wanted to free the fish, which was a highly endangered species.
Oliver Knowles, the organisation's oceans campaigner, said releasing tuna was the only responsible thing to do to safeguard the future of the species and the ocean.
He insisted that activists would confront any and all parts of the industry, which was a clear example of how politics had failed the seas. However, the Ministry for Resources and Rural Affairs said in a statement that the tuna in the pen had been legally caught and made up part of the internationally established quota.
It maintained that local fishery activities were being carried out in accordance with regulations laid down by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and the European Union, who constantly monitored these activities.
There was another clash between Greenpeace and foreign fishermen a couple of days ago, when a grappling hook was hurled at a dinghy and pierced the leg of an activist.
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eduardo domaniewicz
Apr 4th, 13:13
Mr. Jordi Tudera (WWF) and Greenpeace are comun terrorist,ignarand abouth commertial fishing and tipical comunist with big salary pay by politics and corrupts corporations
S. Camilleri
Jun 14th 2010, 22:47
Keep it up Greenpeace ...
A double steel hull with significant tapering draft progressing from shallow at the bow and getting deeper towards the stern would be better suited to release the Tuna however
Joe Brincat
Jun 14th 2010, 18:38
well done Greenpeace, your attacks on the greed of a few Maltese are indeed heroic!!!!
Martin Abela
Jun 14th 2010, 17:59
Astrid Vella is always the defender off all, normally what she feels is righteous which is not always the case, as for green peace they should be brought to justice for attacking a maltese registered vessel, piracy at sea, attempted damage to private property and waste of goverment funds ( to send the boat and plane on site). In sone countries these kind of people cioe GREENPEACE activists are considered as eco terrorists and not protecters, always remember that Greenpeace was set up with Soviet financial backing to cause mayhem to European defense planners. These should be made personas non gratie to Malta, it is already hard enough on our economy that the EU limited fishing and cost our economy about 80 milion euros now we get green peace try to ruin what is left. To the government: The law is the same for all, if a hunter or bird trapper is arrested for illegally doing his hobby then these Green Peace criminals should also be prosecuted
Alex Caffari
Jun 15th 2010, 09:13
Martin Abela said "always remember that Greenpeace was set up with Soviet financial backing to cause mayhem to European defense planners"
Do you make this stuff up or what?
FYI Greenpeace started in Western Canada in a bid to stop the USA from denotaning a nuclear bomb near a fault line which could have triggered an earthquake and caused a tsunami. Firthermore, Greenpeace does not take any money from governments or corporations as they are 100% funded through individuals.
You don't believe me? Check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenpeace
Astrid Vella
Jun 14th 2010, 17:12
@ Mr.Cilia Debono: You say the AFM was doing its duty.Where was the AFM when planes used to pose as tourist planes etc and instead go out reconnoitring for migrating tuna for the fishing industry which is illegal? National Geographic reports this: "I flew one June morning with Eduardo Domaniewicz, an Argentine-American pilot who has spotted for tuna for French and Italian purse seiners since 2003.Riding shotgun was Domaniewicz's spotter,Alfonso Consiglio.They were combing the waters between Lampedusa and Tunisia, and they were not alone: Three other spotter aircraft were prowling illegally, relaying tuna sightings to some of the 20 purse seiners in the water below. (After two hours, high winds and choppy seas, which make it difficult both to see and net the first, forced the planes to return to Lampedusa and Malta." http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/global-fish-crisis-article/ Funny how its only the illegalities of Greenpeace that whip the authorities into immediate action, while the abuse of a vested industry that has been going on for years is ignored.Who remembers how some operators were grossly under-reporting catches to the EU?How strange that the figures stood out a mile yet the Ministry concerned somehow failed to notice the discrepancies.
Raymond Hinton
Jun 14th 2010, 16:37
Well done AFM, these fishermen are catching small immature tuna to fatten in pen`s, dont these activists realise that the large breeding tuna are left out in the open ocean to spawn, thus maintaining the species, At least doing it this way, people maintain a living too, obviously they can afford not to work, or have no responsibilities ! they just cruise around the world interfering with peoples lawfull business !
Tanja Cilia
Jun 14th 2010, 15:47
Isn't it intriguing how Greenpeace activists never attack illegal pangasius farms in Asia, when we all know in which conditions these fish are "raised"?
M.Caruana
Jun 14th 2010, 15:24
The ONLY thing that will save TUNA is TUNA PENS. Just like in the past hunting evolved into animal husbandry the same applies for the seas. Greanpeace are just a lobby group. Even tobacco industries have lobby groups. Doesn't mean they're right.
C Cassar
Jun 14th 2010, 16:37
You really don't know what you're talking about do you? So you think that Tuna are raised from birth in Tuna pens? It's showing the real lack of education in Malta. The tuna in the pens are caught at quite a large size from the wild but still small enough not to have reached breeding age. That means the guaranteed extinction of the species. Maybe you still don't understand that fact, quite frightening there are people around who think as you do. Also to those who eat tuna, you should really avoid this and any fish that grows large and has a long life cycle. It's a proven fact that they accumulate toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. We gave up eating these things years ago when we learnt this fact.
Sarah Caruana
Jun 14th 2010, 15:14
To the minister:
The capture of tuna is legal because you and your colleagues failed to act responsibly when tuna fishing came to a vote. It is because of your failure that we cannot protect tuna with the law. Greenpeace is aggressive but I thank them for taking over where my representatives failed so magnificently. If it is not your job to defend tuna stocks then whose job is it? But look where politics and the "law" got the Gulf coast of America. Let them all hate Greenpeace. I on the other hand thank Greenpeace for its trouble.
Emanuel Cilia Debono
Jun 14th 2010, 14:52
@Mr.J.Borg
Surely the few small Maltese entrepreneurs who successfully cull limited quantities of tuna fish under regulated conditions are not really threatening the extinction of the tuna species. Come on! On the other hand unauthorised Greenpeace sailors are unjustly threatening the survival of the tuna industry in Malta and are doing harm both to local industry and to those who earning a living out of it.
.
The attack by Greenpeace of a Maltese vessel constitutes a breach of international law and- what is even worse - it goes against the rule of law. I see no difference between such lawless activity and unjustified piracy by Somali outlaws on the high seas,
The AFM were doing their duty when they intervened to protect the interest of Malta and of our Maltese fishermen against abusive attack at sea.. Surely nobody gave Greenpeace any inalienable right to patrol the seas and make itself above the law,
J. Borg
Jun 14th 2010, 19:12
You have it all wrong.... We are not speaking about traditional Maltese fishermen here who catch some odd tuna - but Tuna Farms operators who sweep the seas of even pre-breeding age tuna to then fatten them with more fish and chemicals....polluting our bays. If you really have traditional Maltese fishermen at heart you would be on the Greenpeace boat. Moreover government's intervention against Greenpeace's initiative is no surprise - considering that the same "authorities" have for years turned a blind eye to the pollution generated by fish farms to the detriment of our health and tourism income. But then some occassional yachting trips with 'friends' to Sicily may also come into the equation!
Alfred Camilleri
Jun 14th 2010, 14:24
Greenpeace activists are the new pirates of the seas. All the countries of the world, or at least the civilized ones, should outlaw these pseudo peaceful 'terrorists' and send them packing.
Ivan Portanier
Jun 14th 2010, 13:31
Green Peace has been proven not to be a credible organisation many times in the immediate past so how can people be so stupid as to support them and believe what they say. If they want to free the Blue Fin Tuna which belongs to third parties why don't they buy it, then they can do what they like with it. Otherwise they should use their energies on the politicians and if they don't succed it means that Green Peace is definately in the wrong.
ct busuttil
Jun 14th 2010, 13:00
I generally support the protection of any 'animals' but aggression is aggression no matter where it comes from. Discussions are underway on the matter of tuna farming. Greenpeace need to show restraint and patience. Much has already been achieved and ruining one tuna pen is hardly going to save the whole species. They gave a very bad example which can lead to more violence since the fishermen are now prepared! The AFM are just doing their job.
John Borg
Jun 14th 2010, 12:41
I suppose that if the fisherman break the law they are immediately brought to justice and shamed, how is it that no action is being taken against Greenpeace for breaking the law? Is it a matter that if he's maltese he shall be 'crucified' and if he's a 'green' he shall be left in 'peace'?
C Cassar
Jun 14th 2010, 13:02
The fish do not belong to the fishermen - they belong to nobody. It always amazes me that "fishermen" can go and take what does not belong to them and then have the arrogance to put it up for sale.
They are as bad as the "hunters" who blight the countryside of Malta, killing what isn't theirs.
Censu attard
Jun 14th 2010, 15:16
@ C Cassar,
I guess that you are right when you say that fish belong to no one and I also guess that the air around us belong to no one but I guess that you take air so that you can breath to live don`t you. Everyone knows that Fish,Birds, Animals ,Trees (and the list goes on and on) belong to no one but the Almighty God made them so that mankind will have food, clothing and shelter,otherwise mankind will have no choice what to eat only soil and human flesh.
Edward Zammit
Jun 14th 2010, 23:45
@ Censu Attard
The almighty God made nothing expressly for anyone ! He created nature in a state of perfection with a food chain so that each and every species is kept in check and not overpopulate and damage, or wipe out other species. However mankind's ego destroyed that state of perfection by what is so called intelligence, and put himself on top of the food chain and more important than anything else around him. Us humans are nothing special next other animals we are just scourging the planet which is our home and murdering our flatmates. And for what for a petty excuse that is called progress, which is in fact nothing more than regress. I am not condoning what green peace is doing, but I do condemn all the Governments past and present ( and not just Maltese ) for doing nothing.
Anthony A. Mifsud
Jun 14th 2010, 10:39
Who are these green peace devils?
Are they above the law? who is permitting them to do such atrocities?
They should be brought to justice,
Toni
J. Borg
Jun 14th 2010, 11:56
Atrocities!
Sure there are......the culling of the blue fin tuna is an atrocity
The deployment of the otherwise shy AFM to defend the extinction of the fish is another atrocity.
The musical chairs by the supposedly knowledgeable ICCAT is another atrocity
And is Mr. Mifsud a Director of Agriculture (&Fisheries) just in case?