Peter Gingell, Mepa Communications Officer, Floriana
Protection of marine areas (1)
According to your report ‘Divers calls for better enforcement protection measures at dive sites’ (August 15), Nature Trust (Malta) expressed its disappointment that the area surrounding Ċirkewwa and Comino, a popular dive site with a very rich Posidonia oceanica community, has been excluded protection as a designated Marine Protected Area.
The Malta Environment and Planning Authority (Mepa) can confirm that the sea around Comino, L-Aħrax Point and the eastern side of Ċirkewwa has been fully included in one of the four Marine Protected Areas, as also indicated in the attached map extracted from Government Notice 851 of 2010. These sites are in fact part of the largest marine protected area which has been designated, which spans an area of over 15,000 hectares across the north-easterb area of Malta.
The newly designated sites were primarily identified by the authority because they provide protection for over 80 per cent of Posidonia beds (mergħat tal-alka) found in Malta. In the Mediterranean, this habitat provides both food and shelter for a number of marine species, acts as a carbon sink and protects beaches from sand depletion.
Mepa would also like to reiterate that protecting marine areas does not mean that all activities, including fishing, will automatically be prohibited. Rather, activities carried out within these areas will have to be assessed in terms of the likelihood and significance of their impact on the biodiversity for which the site was protected.
For this very reason Mepa will be working on the development and implementation of management plans which will effectively allow for the sustainable use of natural resources in these areas with the full involvement of all stakeholders.
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Joseph MELI
Aug 22nd 2010, 16:57
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The main land area of Ta' Xbiex Sea Coast Road is also very important for the breeding of large and small fish stocks spawning during winter and summer times, including lacci, sargi, mullet, accola, awrata, cawla, cerna, dott abjad or tal-faxxi, hanzir tal-fond, imsell, kahlija, makku, u vopi, etc., etc.
If one stops near this coast road one can see the very large amount of newly born fish stocks within this area. That is why it needs protection.
Has historical cannons fixed into the shoreline with a Naval History and that the name of Ta' Xbiex came from on the use of these rocks, by hanging fishing nets, which they used to call Xbieki.
This area includes on it's rocky shoreline which is regularly covered with several vegetation and other life forms such as the breeding of small shrimps, worms, squids, octopus, and many others.
We have already lost sea urchin [Paracentrotus lividus] that used to habit this area, due to present pollution coming from yachts.
This ecological marine communities that live and breed within this particular area also needs protection by MEPA.
Joseph MELI
Aug 22nd 2010, 16:54
The present marine life forms or biota along Ta' Xbiex Coast Road, Ta' Xbiex from near the Water Polo Club up to the Gzira Gardens/Yacht Marina is well known and can be seen from shore that this area is for fish breeding area and with the large amount of yachts within this area these could end short from their development through either propeller destruction or from chemicals that come out unexpected from marine craft users within this area.
Furthermore, all kind of sea-life formation would be endangered due to diesel, petrol which often comes out from birthed crafts whilst being filled or during their mooring stages or while maneuvering to go out or in.
The Coastline contains various cemented and intertwined loosely coiled shells of gastropods (snails) and worms, which are embedded in a matrix of coralline algae, which due to the large amount of diesel, oil and other sewage material that could unexpected and unintentionally be released, may endangers all existence marine life forms of this area.
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