Dolphin fish catches have dropped by a staggering 60 per cent over the past five years, official figures show, though opinion on what has caused the “worrying decline” remains divided.
“I’ve been fishing for lampuki (dolphin fish) my whole life. My father used to catch them. The seasons have always fluctuated, but in recent years we have seen them take a nosedive,” veteran fisherman Joe Cauchi said as he loaded nets onto his boat in Marsaxlokk yesterday afternoon.
A review of national fish catches shows that lampuki were becoming a less likely fixture in fishermen’s nets. According to the review, conducted by the National Statistics Office, catches went down from 429,610 kilos in 2010 to 172,827 kilos in 2014. The drop was even more visible in Gozo, where catches fell by as much as 80 per cent over the same period.
The lampuki season begins around mid-August and ends at the end of the year, although it can be extended by the Director of Fisheries.
Fishmongers are currently charging about €10 a kilo for the species, more than double the price usually commanded during fishing seasons.
Opinions on the scarcity were a dime a dozen. One fishmonger told the Times of Malta that the Italians’ growing taste for lampuki was encouraging more of their fishermen to target the species.
It could equally simply be a natural cycle
Fishing industry sources said local fishermen had opted to trade the fish on the open sea rather than through Maltese markets. “The rumours are that they pay a premium for certain products,” one source said.
Others felt that increased shipping movements along the Libyan coast were drawing the fish away from Maltese shores.
“What do you expect with the amount of shipping going on in the Mediterranean? It’s like a highway out there,” said fisherman Freddy Tabone.
Marine biologist Alan Deidun believes the link between a reduced lampuki catch and increased shipping activity to be “a bit tenuous”.
“Nothing is fixed in the sea. The lampuki shortage could be an indication of changes in environmental variables, but it could equally simply be a natural cycle,” he said.
Earlier this month, this newspaper reported that a pest which over the last decade decimated more than 5,000 palm trees could be having a direct impact on the season.
Fishermen raised concerns that a shortage of palm fronds, used to make rafts for catching the popular fish, was having an impact.
But it was not all bad news for the local lampuka.
Just yesterday this newspaper carried a Talking Point by Leyla Knittweis-Mifsud, a lecturer in fisheries at the University of Malta, who pointed to climate change as a factor that was affecting the fishing industry.
However, while rising sea temperatures are a concern for a number of species, they are less of a worry for thermophilic species such as lampuki, which actually prefer warmer waters.