Indications by the Environment and Resources Authority were that the slime which appeared off the coast a few days ago had not come from fish farms but was natural foam, the parliamentary secretary for agriculture and fisheries, Roderick Galdes, said in parliament this evening.

The same had happened last October when similar spawn hit Portomaso and even Sicily.

He said the government had taken action against fish farms when these did not abide with their permits but they should not be blamed for things which are not of their doing. Fish farms were important to the economy and the government would do everything for their expansion.

Mr Galdes was speaking during the debate on the Fisheries Conservation and Management (Amendment) Bill.

Yesterday, the Environment and Resources Authority said it is carrying out a scientific investigation into the repeated appearance of slime in bays around Malta.

Reports emerged over the weekend of large amounts of white foam in the sea beneath Wignacourt Tower in St Paul’s Bay and close to Exiles in Sliema, the latest in a long series of similar incidents dating back to last summer.

In several cases last summer, the slime was established to have emanated from fish farms around the island, but farm operators have denied any responsibility for more recent occurrences.

Contacted by the Times of Malta, an ERA spokeswoman confirmed the authority was aware of the cases in the last few days and was collaborating with the University of Malta “to investigate such occurrences in a scientific manner”.

This slime has absolutely nothing to do with us

“This occurrence appears to be similar to the one which was reported on October 29, and which resulted following strong winds and rough seas,” the spokeswoman said. “The occurrences are being linked as the weather over the past days was similar to that towards the end of October 2016.”

Widespread reports of oily slime in several bays picked up pace last summer, with a report commissioned by the environment ministry identifying fish farms as the source. Operators admitted the sludge was caused by a new fish feed with higher fat content.

Planning permits for four operators were revoked in September in part over the negative environmental impact, which breached permit conditions, as well as other continuing illegalities.

All cages are now required to be moved to an approved aquaculture zone six kilometres off the coast in the south of Malta, although two operators have since filed appeals.

But fish farm operators categorically denied any responsibility for later occurrences, including a large amount of glutinous foam that washed over the Portomaso Marina during a severe storm in October.

“This slime has absolutely nothing to do with us,” Joseph Caruana, director of Fish and Fish, told the Times of Malta at the time. “We have asked the government to carry out an investigation to establish this once and for all, and we’re going to keep putting pressure until it’s resolved.”

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