One of the specifications and conditions listed in the call for tender issued by the Malta Tourism Authority (MTA 765/2010) for the provision of lifeguards states that these are to ensure that “no fishing is allowed in the swimmers’ zone”

These lifeguards are to be employed at the perched beach at Bugibba, Qawra Point and Golden Bay.

Consequently, whether one agrees or not with this discrimination against fishermen, rod fishing, according to the MTA, is not allowed on these public beaches within the swimmers’ zone.

Only yesterday week some relatives of mine who were swimming at Mellieħa Bay accompanied their children from the beach to an uncrowded area within the swimmers’ zone to fish. A lifeguard, who claimed to have instructions from the MTA, asked them to pack up their rods and leave.

So one also assumes that this bay and all others aspiring for Blue Flag status, though no official signage or legal notice to this effect is anywhere to be seen, have now become no fishing zones.

Rod fishing has never constituted a danger to the public and is considered a popular, safe and perfectly legal activity practised by both young and old.

Also, and most importantly, one of the provisions in the Blue Flag Beach Criteria and Explanatory Notes 2010 (criterion 29) states: “There must be management of different users and uses of the beach so as to prevent conflicts and accidents” and nowhere in these notes is the banning of fishing a requirement for achieving these aims.”

Considering there are now 40 swimmers’ zones, all of which are within bays that have been regularly frequented by rod fishermen, by what right and with whose official blessing can the MTA, according to its idea of management, issue a directive that bans rod fishing from public beaches?

Has fishing suddenly become a threat to society or are rod fishermen no longer considered as different users of a beach?