The volume and wholesale value of fish landings increased by 21.7 and 1.1 per cent respectively in the second quarter this year over the same period last year.

The National Statistics Office said that fish landings in the second quarter amounted to 403,199 kilogrammes, an increase of 21.7 per cent over the comparative quarter last year, although the two dominant species caught during the period, blue fin tuna and swordfish, decreased by 34.7 per cent and 7.7 per cent respectively.

Similarly, the wholesale value of total fish landings went up by 1.1 per cent to €2,156,024.

Total landings by Maltese fishermen amounted to 262,890 kilogrammes, 8.8 per cent less than the second quarter of 2010.

A drop was registered in blue fin tuna (-34.5 per cent). The wholesale value of fresh fish landings increased marginally from €1,944,210 in the second quarter last year to €1,944,786 in the quarter under review.

Fish landings by Maltese fishermen include landings by foreign-flagged vessels.

Fresh fish landings by Gozitan fishermen amounted to 140,309 kilogrammes (+226.3 per cent) during the second quarter, mainly attributable to a significant rise in mackerel landings (+586.5 per cent).

Gozitan fishermen generated €211,238 in wholesale value, an increase of 12.8 per cent over the second quarter of 2010.