Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1009910
maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 1 AUGUST 2018 4 NEWS JAMES DEBONO AN EIA on the doubling of tu- na cages by Azzopardi Fisheries from 12 to 24 in an ecologically protected area off Sikka l-Bajda, five kilometres from the coast- line, suggests that proper man- agement may reduce negative impacts. One of the proposals made in an Environmental Impact Assessment to mitigate the negative environmental im- pact of tuna pens is to stop feeding the tuna before they are "satiated" to "minimise food loss," and thus reduce the deposition of tuna feed on the seabed. The EIA warns of a series of negative environmental im- pacts as a result of extending existing tuna pens in the area. According to the study the tuna penning zone may have a major negative impact on marine water quality result- ing from uneaten feed settling on thee seabed, discharges of oil and bilge waters, and dis- charge of sewage from marine vessels. The EIA warns that the dis- charge of fish oils can also affect beaches and coastal ar- eas, as has happened in recent years. "This would impact bathing, yachting, diving, and related recreation, tourism, and the general quality of life of coast- al residents and visitors". According to the EIA, the severity of this impact will de- pend on the amount of fish oil released into the marine envi- ronment during feeding and the amount of oils that escape the farm and the collection systems deployed to counter- act this issue. The EIA proposes a number of measures to avoid these negative impacts including supervision of tuna feeding by divers and to stop feeding tuna before they are satiated to avoid loss of feed. Other measures proposed include the availability of "ad- ditional oil collection services outside the farm to ensure im- mediate collection of any slick escaping from the farm." A number of vague propos- als made include "good prac- tices aboard ships to mini- mise discharges, noise, light, and littering," and the use of oil skimmers to collect oil re- leased in each cage. The tuna farm extension may also have a negative impact on breeding seabird populations resulting from increased light pollution and the attraction of predatory sea gulls. To avert these impacts the EIA suggests a downscaling of activities at night, the setting up of a seabird monitoring programme, the monitoring of gull colonies and the train- ing of staff "in appropriate bird handling and reporting." The reason given for dou- bling the number of cages is to ensure that the tuna fish have sufficient space to allow them to reach optimal size before they are killed. The decision to relocate the tuna pens from Comino and St Paul's Bay was taken amidst a national outrage over re- ports of sea sludge polluting the Maltese coast line. But the decision was op- posed by environmental groups like Birdlife who la- mented the absence of studies before the temporary location to a designated marine Natura 2000 site. The current appli- cation to double the number of tuna pens will still respect the company's 3,300 tonnes of fish quota. Stop feeding tuna before they are full, EIA suggests JAMES DEBONO WHILE the PA is set to refuse an ap- plication for an ODZ petrol station in Zejtun, it has just received another proposal on 3,000sq.m of ODZ land in Zabbar. The latest proposal involves the re- location of an existing fuel station in Tal-Qroqq to a 1,795sq.m site in Triq Villabate which links Zabbar to Mar- saskala. The site earmarked for the new pet- rol station is presently awaiting en- forcement action by the PA against the dumping of construction waste, which dates back to 2011. The site is surrounded by agricultural land. A proposed development for a 3,000sq.m ODZ petrol station on ag- ricultural land opposite the Bulebel industrial estate in Zejtun is likely to be refused by the Planning Board in a meeting set for tomorrow. This is because the case officer is calling on the Planning Board to re- fuse the application because the site lacks an access "from a distributor or arterial road," in breach of the existing policy regulating ODZ petrol stations. The site in question is accessed from Triq Hal Tarxien, which is a second- ary road, located at a considerable dis- tance from the centre of Zejtun. The case officer also highlighted the site's proximity to the Wied iz-Zring watercourse, which is considered as an important water catchment, forming part of a Valley Protection Zone. Wirt Iz-Zejtun, an organisation dedi- cated to the protection of the locality's local heritage had objected to the ap- plication. The NGO had recently led a successful campaign against the pro- posed extension of the Bulebel indus- trial estate. The existing policy regulating ODZ petrol stations allows 3,000sq.m petrol stations on agricultural land opposite industrial areas. However, in this case, the applica- tion, which also foresees a VRT sta- tion for trucks, does not conform to another criteria of the policy, which requires fuel stations to be located on distributor or arterial road. A number of pending petrol sta- tions are still being considered under this controversial policy, which has already led to the approval of petrol stations on 12,000sq.m of agricultural land. The PA is currently preparing a new policy. The Environment and Resources Au- thority has already presented its pro- posals aimed at eliminating loopholes like that of allowing petrol stations on land opposite or adjacent to industrial areas. One of the most controversial pend- ing applications awaiting a PA deci- sion foresees a mega petrol station along Rabat road, which would require the removal of five Aleppo pine trees. A controversial petrol station appli- cation proposed in Triq l-Mgarr in Mgarr by Halmann Velsix Group has recently been withdrawn. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Bulebel ODZ petrol station set for refusal as new one proposed in Zabbar The tuna penning zone may have a major negative impact on marine water quality