Maltese fishermen are hoping for good weather in the coming weeks to cash in on bluefin tuna catches as eight Mediterranean countries compete for the almost 8,000 ton quota they are allowed this year.
Maltese fishermen, the only ones in the EU still using traditional long-line fishing instead of industrial purse seiners, can catch up to 161 tons this year.
The quota is set according to the parameters of an international agreement drawn up by ICCAT – the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna – aimed at reversing the threat of extinction for the Mediterranean ‘golden’ fish.
Most of the Maltese catches do not even touch Maltese land as they are immediately sent to offshore fattening cages. The best quality is flown directly to Japan to be consumed in the sushi and sashimi market.
Fishermen who spoke to Times of Malta confirmed that everything was set for the season and there did not appear to be any major problems this year, except for the “low” quota.
“We have been trying hard to push for a better quota for a number of years. However, this is apparently not possible yet until there is scientific evidence showing stocks are recovering,” a Marsaxlokk fishermen said.
“The tuna season has a huge impact on our livelihood as it constitutes the largest part of our earnings in a year. So a good season is all we hope for,” another fisherman said.
The EU yesterday reminded Mediterranean fishermen to observe the rules while stating that inspections would take place to ensue everything was in check.
Apart from Malta, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Portugal and Cyprus, this year will see also Croatia form part of the EU fleet for the first time. Consequently, the number of purse seine vessels has grown and the EU quota for 2014 has risen by five per cent. To ensure no overfishing is taking place, a strict control and inspection programme has been put in place on an EU level. This sets concrete control priorities and benchmarks involving significant deployment of inspectors, patrol vessels and aircraft coordinated by the European Fisheries Control Agency and the member states in question.
The European Commission also monitors catches and analyses vessel monitoring system data – a satellite-based control system – on a constant basis to ensure all rules, particularly the individual vessels’ quotas, are fully respected.