Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1011650
11 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 AUGUST 2018 NEWS in a variety of ways, from be- ing made into a pie to simply being cooked on a grill. The fish is also exported to foreign countries. Having been passed the ba- ton by his father, Henry Caru- ana, Adrian, insisted on the sacrifice required to have a successful season. "We might go out for a day, we might go out for three. A lot of factors affect our days at sea." Caruana explained how the industry has changed through the years, with a decline in fish population noticed by all fishermen. "Each year I see the catch population decline more and more. The only thing that keeps us going is the price of the fish," he said, which he says is competitive enough, and that buyers snatch up the volumes of fish as soon as the price lowers by just a little bit. By-catch, the process of catching untargeted species, can also occur in the fishing industry, but Caruana said that not a lot of fish species are caught. "Not a lot of dif- ferent species are caught with the lampuka, but the only fish that must be released is the 'tunnag', a smaller and young- er type of tuna, which cannot be caught due to size restric- tions." After it is caught, the fish is kept in pristine condition to be sold when the vessel reach- es shore. "I try to keep the fish in its freshest condition. I call my distributor who is ready to pick up the catch as soon as I reach land. From then on, it's in his hands," Caruana said. Proper regulation, paired with respect between indus- try professionals is essential for the tradition to live on, Caruana says, hopeful that the age-old practice of fishing for lampuki lives on. Fishermen encounter few problems at sea, although they occasion- ally face vindictive assaults on their fishing apparatus. "It is a problem sometimes. Fishermen from other coun- tries use our equipment and then proceed to cut it off. It is a little bit of an issue, but there's not much one can do," Caruana said. Andrew Caruana: the fishing trade runs in the family but he says the industry has changed and become a more difficult one for small fishermen like him Fishing essentials: fishermen are delivered a much needed stock of palm leave branches, which will be used for the creation of the 'cimi', to which jablo floats are attached. The dolphin fish will seek these floats out for some shade When the fishermen spot the fish they lay out their large fishing nets to surround the resting fish Andrew Caruana prepares his boat for the 15 August: for most people in Malta it will be a day of relaxation, but for Maltese lampuka fishermen, it is the start of the long-awaited season "Fishermen from other countries use our equipment and then proceed to cut it off. It is a little bit of an issue" PHOTOS BY JAMES BIANCHI