Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1183404
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 10 NOVEMBER 2019 KARL AZZOPARDI A proposal aimed at safe- guarding Maltese fisherman's use of flotation devices at sea – the kannizzati used for the capture of dolphin fish, or lampuki – has been accept- ed by parties to the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean. The proposal comes in the wake of protests from Maltese fishermen who have accused Tunisian counterparts of plundering their catches in what is a veritable war on the high seas. The situation has been a tense one, with Maltese fish- ers reporting being threatened by Tunisian fishers wielding machetes and Molotov cock- tails, and a large, green Tu- nisian vessel, nicknamed the 'Bin Laden', which threatens to ram Maltese boats. While fishing off the floats of others is not strictly illegal, Maltese fishers say the Tu- nisians were destroying the floats and lines in the process of hauling in their catch, and using strong-arm tactics to stop the Maltese from access- ing their equipment. Now, a proposal from the Maltese fisheries department through the European Com- mission for measures on the use of anchored Fishing Ag- gregating Devices (FADs) for dolphin fish, was this week unanimously accepted at the GFCM meeting in Athens. The measures will lead to a register of FAD authorisa- tions issued by both GFCM contracting parties and co- operating non-contracting parties, with this list being communicated to the GFCM secretariat ever year on 31 Ju- ly 2019, right before the start of the lampuki season. The GFCM will also main- tain a list of the authorised vessels for the fishing season and publish it on GFCM web- site. A source privy to the GF- CM talks said they hoped the measures will directly safe- guard fishermen from the previously unregulated situa- tion whereby FADs were be- ing damaged or fished upon by additional countries. Fishers will also be bound by conditions to ensure the kannizzati are covered in ma- terial that does not entangle non-target species, as well as to prioritise biodegradable materials. Kannizzati devices employ a lot of plastic and jablo. The FADs will also be marked in such a way that they can be readily identified. The parliamentary secretary for fisheries and agriculture Clint Camilleri remarked that this was an important deci- sion for Maltese fishers. "It is a positive step forward to- wards making the sector op- erate more sustainably with clearer parameters. These measures give fishermen ex- clusivity on their FAD." kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt NEWS The Skinny Interested stakeholders should contact the Agency on info-energywateragency@gov.mt or by calling us on +356 2229 2558 by the 11th of November. Further information on the project can be found on energywateragency.gov.mt or interregeurope.eu/aquares/ The Energy and Water Agency is organising a public consultation meeting under the AQUARES project. This public consultation will discuss the adaptation of water reuse regarding technologies and practices on a national and regional level. The public consultation will be held on Tuesday 12th November 2019 at the Dolmen Hotel in St. Paul's Bay, between 13:00 and 17:00. Water reuse technologies and practices. A PUBLIC CONSULTATION AQUARES is an international project which is co-f inananced by European Union funds under the Interreg Europe Programme. The objective of the AQUARES project is to improve policy tools and water management concepts by integrating wastewater reuse into national, regional and local development plans to promote the efficient use of wastewater resources. INTERREG EUROPE PROGRAMME 2014-2020 Project part-financed by the European Union European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% Na onal funds No 9. Gerard James Borg What are we skinning? The literary output of Gerard James Borg, author of Sleazeungsroman classics such as Bormla Babes, Madliena Married Men and Sliema Wives. Why are we skinning it? Because he's just released another luridly local creation onto the kinda-suspecting micro-universe that is Malta: the irresistibly titled 'Tigne Point Bachelors'. Is Gerard James Borg really worth a second – nay, a first – thought as a writer? Shouldn't we give more credence to weightier literary heavyweights? It's true that, given how the Malta Book Festival has just concluded, book-lovers should theoretically have stackloads of tomes to see to... Yes, so why is Tigné Point Bachelors suddenly the point of discussion? Let's be blunt and brutal: no other Maltese book is exactly grabbing the headlines, is it? Fair enough but I mean, the tagline for his latest volume runs 'The bedroom is their turf, and they are here to play'. How much of this tackiness can a person possibly stand before the irony thermometer goes through the roof? Yes, but it also claims to be 'inspired by true events'... Oh, so you think this is a serious documentary examination of the morally bankrupt and promiscuous Maltese upper-middle class? No, and neither am I suggesting that it's some kind of American Psycho-style phantasmagoric satire. But the claim towards factual inspiration positions Gerard James Borg in an interesting position vis-a-vis Maltese publishing. How so? In his own crude and – yes – tacky way, he has managed to elevate the lurid goings on of the local elite into populist entertainment, and in the case of Bormla Babes, the lens also shifts to Eurovision hopefuls from a decidedly opposing side of the local class spectrum. But if it's written as trashy entertainment, what value could that 'observational' angle possibly have? What we consume as trash says a lot about us as a culture. If the goings on of the Tigne Bachelors and Bormla Babes are what give us that collective jolt of amusement and naughty, gossipy pleasure, then we know there's a lot in there that bears investigating. So you're saying it's more of anthropological than literary value. Maybe. But for now, I'm just really dying to know how this philandering murder mystery ends up. Or at least, I wish I could – tried to get my hands on a copy at book festival but it seems to have run out. Do say: "Gerard James Borg's saucy bedroom parables may not be to everyone's taste, but they certainly fill a gap within the local book market, and definitively prove that English- speaking and cultural sophistication do not automatically go hand in hand" Don't say: "Did we abolish censorship for THIS?!" Malta, shrunk down Malta gets kannizzati reprieve in fishing deal Bless thy fishing aggregating devices: a priest blesses one of the boats setting out for Malta's most savoured fish, the lampuka, at the start of the season. Maltese fishers have been at war with Tunisian fishers who steal their quarry from their kannizzati, seen here on the roof of the boat