Fishing in the Dwerja Marine Protected Area is not regulated, the Environment Ministry acknowledged yesterday.
“While Dwejra was legally declared an MPA, there have been no laws or regulations established for the management of fishing activities in the area to date,” the ministry said in a press release.
It added that it was consulting Mepa, the authority responsible for marine protection, to devise “a holistic approach that takes into account the needs of both the diving and fishing sectors” in the beauty spot.
The ministry was reacting to a photo published in The Sunday Times of Malta of a 70-metre trammel net that was laid recently in Dwejra between the Azure Window and the Blue Hole – a diving hotspot used to promote the island in many publications overseas.
Trammel nets are designed to trap everything and pose a serious threat to the safety of divers who can become entangled.
The ministry said it was aware that the protected area was included in the Mepa Action Plan for the Qawra/Dwejra Heritage Park in 2005, which has not yet been implemented. This included a ban on fishing in the core zone of the protected area.
The former Fisheries Control Directorate was asked in November 2011 to provide input on a new Dwejra Marine Protected Area work plan, the ministry said.
The ministry itself has already devised a “strategy” to collect information on fishing in Dwejra, it added.
“We believe the development of a zoning scheme, based on a win-win strategy, shall fulfil the needs of all stakeholders involved,” the ministry said.
Concerned members of the public can report any fishing illegalities they witness to the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Information on the illegality, the fishing vessel registration number as well as any relevant evidence photos should be provided to the department, which is assuring total confidentiality.
The department can be contacted at infofisheries@msdec.com.mt or on 2292 1111 on a 24-hour basis.