The fertilised eggs of bluefin tuna.The fertilised eggs of bluefin tuna.

The EU’s successful breeding of bluefin tuna in captivity will only impact the lucrative Maltese industry if it becomes commercially viable, which is not likely to be soon, according to fisherman Ray Bugeja.

He said Japan – the main market – had been trying to make this a financial success since the late 1970s and, so far, only had a five per cent survival rate.

The European Commission announced last week that a scientific consortium involving 13 partners from eight countries, including Malta, had achieved “remarkable results” as scientists managed to breed bluefin tuna.

This project would provide the basis for the future ecologically sustainable aquaculture of the threatened species, the Commission said.

The tuna season runs between May and July, when the fish move through the Mediterranean Sea to breed.

Large international fishing companies set out to catch the fish located close to the south of Malta and Libya.

They are caught alive and sold to fattening tuna pens. Malta buys its share of the quota, which stands at about 180 tons.

Breeding in captivity could spell disaster for the island’s tuna industry that is well regarded by Japan, which imports about €80 million worth of fish from Malta every year.

Mr Bugeja, secretary of the National Fisheries Cooperative, and Charles Azzopardi, owner of Azzopardi Fisheries’ – a main player in the local and international tuna industry – believe there is no need to worry once breeding is still not commercially viable.

This was because the egg collection, hatching and growing process was expensive and research showed although the hatching survival rate was 75 per cent, survival then dropped to five per cent.

Both Mr Bugeja and Mr Azzopardi said they were involved in breeding research and sent eggs to Korea to be studied but only a small percentage survived.

Marine biologist Alan Deidun agreed that it was too early to predict a large impact on the industry.

“What will drive this? Demand and supply. If Japan becomes self-sufficient there won’t be so much demand so tuna will be mostly caught by artisanal, small-scale fishermen, mostly impacting the aquaculture industry,” he said.

Difficulties in breeding bluefin tuna came from the fact it was a migratory species – which changed environmental conditions – and a top predator, making it highly complex to replicate its natural habitat for breeding purposes.

If breeding proved to be viable on a large scale, Dr Deidun said, it would be good news from an environmental point of view because it would stop the depletion of wild stocks.

For this to happen, fishing quotas must not be increased.

He was concerned that, if breeding did catch on, this would lead to the depletion of fish caught to feed the tuna in captivity.

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