Dead fish have been dumped in Marsascala’s Magħluq, a Natura 2000 site, which is already notorious for its stench – especially during the hot season.

The dead fish were spotted by residents, who complained about the state of the saline marshland, home to the endangered Maltese killifish.

Up until last year, the site was undergoing a conservation project, which included the transfer of ducks to Manoel Island, after being tested against salmonella, avian flu and Newcastle disease.

When contacted this week, an Environment Ministry spokesman said the ministry itself, the Environment and Resources Authority and the Parks directorate were working together on rehabilitation works planned for the protected site and species found there.

The site fell under the Natura 2000 management plans, which were approved last December. However, work on the marshland can only start once the dry and hot summer period is over, because neither the killifish population reinforcement nor the planting of species is conducive to such an environment, the spokesman said.

Work on the marshland can only start once the dry and hot summer period is over,

Notwithstanding this, the ministry and the Public Cleansing Department remain committed to regularly cleaning of the area, he added.

Meanwhile, the ERA condemned the recent dumping of dead fish, found floating at Il-Magħluq.

“These are neither part of the saline marshland ecosystem of the area nor part of the current activities aimed at improving the status of the site,” the spokesman said, adding that the ERA had already contacted the Public Cleansing Department to assist with the removal of the dead fish.

In the meantime, the transfer of the domestic ducks and geese is ongoing.

The droppings from the ducks and the food given to them harm the natural system of the site and threaten the species that live there.

They also contribute to the deterioration of the site’s water quality.

Last year, a spokeswoman for the Infrastructure Ministry explained that some of the waterfowl were proving difficult to capture, as they kept flying away.

She said that despite the continuous removal of eggs, the number of ducks had increased over the years, most probably due to illegal introduction by the public.

The Environment Ministry spokesman noted meanwhile that informative material about the site would be developed in the near future to raise awareness about this protected lagoon.

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