Tuna pen owner may take legal action

The owner of the tuna pen targeted by Greepeace activists on Sunday is considering taking legal action against them.

Ray Bugeja, who was yesterday making his way back to Malta aboard his fishing boat, tuna pen in tow, said he had already sought the advice of his lawyer with the intention of suing for damages in court.

The Armed Forces of Malta reported on Sunday that Greenpeace activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise tried sailing into the pen. Photos of the incident show that others on dinghies attempted to tear it open using gaff hooks and knives strapped to poles. A second ship, the Rainbow Warrior, was also present at the scene, 22 nautical miles south of Malta.

The pen, which belongs to Ta' Mattew Fish Farms, has been towed at a speed of no more than one knot throughout the past week to be anchored in local waters.

Contacted yesterday by satellite phone 15 nautical miles away from the island, Mr Bugeja, who sounded exhausted after the ordeal, recounted how he was first contacted by the activists via radio.

With nothing to fear because the tuna had been caught legally, he said he was informed a protest was about to take place.

"I told them to go ahead as long as they did not cause any damage. The last thing I expected were dinghies carrying activists wielding hooks and knives," he said.

Still incredulous about the clash, Mr Bugeja said the protestors first cut the towing line before trying to ram the pen and tear the nets open. Seeing this, the fishermen tried warding off the activists as best they could while others called the Armed Forces of Malta for assistance.

At this point, he said, a fisherman was slightly injured when a Greenpeace dinghy slammed into his own dinghy as he sped towards the pen.

A patrol boat which happened to be out at sea arrived within minutes and a helicopter was flown to the scene. However, Mr Bugeja said the activists refused to heed the soldiers' orders to stand down and remained adamant on freeing the tuna.

The activists only retreated when another patrol boat arrived, their ships' path was blocked and they were dispersed with fire hoses.

"If it were not for the army we would have entered port with dead fish. What they do not realise is if they cut the nets, they would not have freed the tuna but killed them because tangled nets would have suffocated them," said Mr Bugeja.

"They are just like those terrorists who blow themselves up for their religion. They insist they protest peacefully but then use knives," he continued.

A spokesman for the armed forces said they had confiscated the blades used by the activists.

The extent of the damage has not yet been assessed but Mr Bugeja said it looked like no tuna had managed to escape.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers condemned the protest, saying there was nothing peaceful about it.

"It was unprovoked aggression and the perpetrators refused to obey orders," the federation said.

"This attempt can only be defined as criminal and violent and highly irresponsible in that by carrying out these assaults at sea they subject both their militants and innocent workers employed by the fish farms to unacceptable risks."

The federation called on the police to investigate the incident.

Greenpeace was contacted for comment about the fishermen's accusations but had not replied by the time of going to print.