Fish farm operators have applied to move four tuna pens from Comino to a new site off St Paul’s Bay, despite early studies on the area indicating potential negative environmental impacts.

An application by AJD Tuna published by the Planning Authority last week seeks to move the cages to an area around 4.3 kilometres north of Qawra Point and 6.1 kilometres east of Rdum tal-Madonna.

AJD, along with three other operators, had been given until the end of May to relocate its pens to a new approved aquaculture zone further offshore, after its permits were revoked by the PA last September due to illegalities and harmful environmental practices.

Two of the other operators have since obtained concessions to operate in the only existing approved zone, located off the south coast of Malta, bringing the site up to its full permitted capacity.

Efforts by the authorities to identify a similar zone for farms in the north have been going on since 2011 but the necessary studies have not yet been concluded.

The site chosen by AJD for its new application is within a large area off St Paul’s Bay identified as a potential site for the north aquaculture zone.

But preliminary studies by ADI – an Environment Impact Assessment consultancy firm – indicated that the area is rich in important coral and algae habitats, which are highly sensitive to nutrients which could be released from the farms.

A Project Development Statement prepared for the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) in February suggested that further environmental impact studies would be needed before the site could be considered to host the aquaculture zone.

The proposed relocation of the fish farm currently off Comino to an area east of Mellieħa Bay and St Paul’s Bay.

The ERA is currently drawing up the terms of reference for such a study, with the public consultation period set to close on Tuesday.

When contacted, Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers secretary John Refalo, who represents AJD, said it would be up to the PA to decide whether the proposed relocation was acceptable.

Dr Refalo stressed that if approved, the farms would be moved offshore from Comino and that the company remained committed to relocating all its pens by summer. He also noted that AJD had already applied to move offshore more than 10 years ago, but the application had been frozen due to plans at the time for a windfarm close by at Sikka l-Bajda.

“We’re reverting back to that application,” he said. “Ultimately we need a zone where we can work safely. We have to operate from somewhere.”

Slime warning

Concerns over the potential impact of the proposed move were also raised yesterday by activist Nicolai Abela, who has been campaigning against the oily slime linked to fish farms last summer.

Mr Abela, a St Paul’s Bay resident, argued that the relocation further offshore would make no positive impact on potential slime, oil slicks and pollution come the summer.

Widespread reports of slime last summer were established to have been caused by a new feed used by operators.

Concerns of a reoccurrence have grown in recent weeks due to several incidents of glutinous foaming at Sliema and St Paul’s Bay, but fish farm operators have denied responsibility, and the ERA is treating the incidents as a natural phenomenon linked to recent bad weather, although studies are ongoing to determine the exact cause.

ADI’s Project Development Statement indicated relocating existing tuna farms would reduce the impact of oily slime on inshore areas, although the slick could still reach the shore under unfavourable sea conditions if not collected.

The slime – a combination of fish oils, melting ice, body fluids and fish mucus released from baitfish as it thaws in the feeding cage – is released during feeding, which takes place twice a day.

The study recommended the continued use of skimmers to collect as much of the slime as possible before it leaves the site, although this system is not 100 per cent effective.

The study also suggested the setting up of the approved aquaculture zone could be an opportunity to re-visit environmental monitoring systems to ensure they are updated to reflect current realities and the experience of past years.