AJD Tuna has begun dismantling fish farms in St Paul’s Bay and Comino ahead of the May 31 deadline set by the Planning Authority for their relocation.
According to AJD, the tuna pens at Comino have already been removed, with the mooring blocks scheduled to follow in mid-June once necessary divers and work boats return from the tuna fishing season.
Meanwhile, the three cages in St Paul’s Bay, containing carry-over fish, are being moved to a site six kilometres offshore, where they will be kept on tow while awaiting a temporary relocation permit from the PA.
John Refalo, secretary of the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers, confirmed that the operators had begun removing buoys and moorings from the St Paul’s Bay site.
READ: Two fish farms appeal PA decision to revoke cage permits
AJD and three other companies were given until the end of May to relocate to a new approved aquaculture zone further offshore. Their existing permits were revoked by the PA last September due to illegalities and harmful environmental practices, including oily slime that plagued beaches last summer.
Should the location be as planned this is definitely a step in the right direction
Two of the other operators have since obtained concessions to operate in the only existing approved zone, located off the south coast, bringing the site up to its full permitted capacity.
Efforts by the authorities to identify a similar zone in the north have been ongoing since 2011.
Dr Refalo said the authorities were satisfied with the pace of developments.
He added that all operators remained committed to complying with the agreement and were hopeful that a permanent solution would be found soon.
AJD has meanwhile applied to move four tuna pens from Comino to a new site off St Paul’s Bay but the application is unlikely to be decided by the PA until later this year. The proposed site is about six kilometres from Qawra Point, having been pushed a further 1.5 kilometres north after objections by Transport Malta and others.
The current proposal met no objections, although the Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has insisted on an archaeological impact assessment to identify any possible archaeological sites or World War II remains and to assess any risks.
Nicolai Abela, from the campaign group Stop the Slime, said he too considered the proposal acceptable.
“Should the location be as planned this is definitely a step in the right direction and satisfies two of our recommendations proposed to reduce the negative environmental and social impacts of tuna farming,” he said.
Recommendations included a minimum distance of six kilometres from the nearest land point and the carrying out of all necessary surveys before the laying down of ground anchors and positioning of nets.