During a press conference held last week, the Environment Minister informed the public that the Mystery of the Suspicious Sea Slime had been solved. After several months of investigation, it was concluded that the stinking sludge that is choking our seas and defouling our bays is not whale zabaglione or mermaid shampoo, but oil from defrosting fatty fish feed.
This finding was announced with some pomp, despite the fact that as recently as June, the minister had stated in Parliament that there was no proof that the fatty-like substance seen in Marsascala was coming from the nearby fish farms.
Now that the culprits have been established, we can pause from taking photographs of the slime trails and proceed to solving the next mystery. That would be The Mystery of the Missing Backbone, or why nothing has been done about this environmental disaster – one which had been foreseen and forewarned more than a decade ago.
As far back as the summer of 2005, grease-like particles near the tuna farm off Delimara were causing foul smells. People who were out at sea said they could smell it miles away. They said they had called various authorities and the Health Department, but were given the runaround.
And so it went, year after year, with swimmers and residents filing reports, begging for some form of official response and being fobbed off. For over a decade, two different government administrations stubbornly refused to respond to the obvious – that an industry darling was ruining one of the island’s most precious resources – its blue sea.
This is the blue sea that features on practically every tourism brochure and marketing material – the sea which is an essential draw for tourists and the hospitality industry, besides being a source of recreation and beauty for residents.
For over a decade, two different government administrations stubbornly refused to respond to the obvious – that an industry darling was ruining one of the island’s most precious resources – its blue sea
Now that our seas have been turned into a scene worthy of a Mediterranean Ghostbusters movie, with all-pervasive sludge floating in our bays and coating our beaches, the government has been dragged kicking and screaming to the press conference table to announce grandiosely that “Something Must Be Done”. Emergency enforcement orders have been issued – as well they should.
It turns out that over half the existing fish farm cages operated by the three largest companies are illegal. Moreover, the infringements are not limited to the number of cages being used but also to their size and the species they hold. Most of the infringements relate to tuna, by far the most lucrative of the species as a result of demand from the Japanese market.
It is not clear what exactly will happen if the fish farm owners do not comply with the enforcement orders and regularise their position. The Planning Authority has made faint noises about releasing the fish in that event, but pretty much everyone is sceptical about that.
The more realistic fear that once the swimming season is over, there will be fewer sightings of the sludge, rougher weather will lead to more sludge dispersal and the convenient shelving of the problem until it reaches major proportions again.
Because that is how our governments operate – by crisis management and not in a proactive and sensible way.
Any mention of regulating any lucrative industry properly will immediately be greeted with the criticism that one is being anti-business, and a deluded hippy who begrudges others from making a living. But really – is that the case here?
There would be few problems with a well-run fish farming operation that is carried out at the stipulated distance from land (and not closer to shore to scrimp on fuel fees) and with the set number of fish and with a half-decent investment in technology that will mitigate the polluting effects of the industry. But this is not what we have. What we do have is a totally unregulated, polluting industry that is deleterious to our health and well-being and to the profitability of other industries.
And the same government that pretends to be cracking the enforcement whip now is the same one that reneged on its promise to impose a measly levy of 10c per kilogramme of feed used in fish farms to address the industry’s environmental impact. This for a business with a turnover of hundreds of millions of euros.
When the fish farm magnates protested at this minimal imposition, the government cowered away and instantly forgot its ‘polluter pays’ principle.
Actually the Mystery of the Missing Backbone is no mystery at all. We can all suss out why no action has been taken as Malta drowns in filth.