Swordfish stocks at risk

The European Union has banned swordfish catches in March owing to depleting stocks, a measure that would deal a blow to Malta’s fishermen.

The Maltese government had voiced opposition to the move.

The measure is expected to hit hard the roughly 600 fishermen licensed to catch swordfish. This is the second most lucrative stock after Bluefin Tuna, which has also been targeted by protective quotas in recent years.

According to the EU, such management programmes help protect Mediterranean stocks for the future.

The EU’s latest proposal focuses on the fishing of juvenile swordfish. Experts believe swordfish should be caught when they are no smaller than 110 centimetres or 16 kilogramme in weight.

However, figures for 2010 show that nearly 40 per cent of the swordfish caught were smaller than 10 kilogrammes. In February, a third of the swordfish caught were under this weight, with the figure going up to 46 per cent in March.

The high season for swordfish is between July and mid-September, while fishing in October and November is already prohibited.

A spokesman for the Rural Affairs Minister said the issue was discussed at a meeting for Fisheries Ministers in Brussels last week and Malta objected to the proposal in the interest of Maltese fishermen.

Earlier this year, the environmental organisation Din l-Art Ħelwa called on the government to introduce regulations that would protect swordfish, which it said was in greater danger of being overfished than tuna.

It said there was little or no legislation regulating the catch of swordfish, which led to younger species being caught. It urged consumers not to eat or buy baby swordfish to allow these to mature and reproduce.