Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1211430
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 FEBRUARY 2020 NEWS source, newly-appointed min- ister Anton Refalo requested a review of the relocation of the fish-farming zone off the coast of Gozo. "The ministry is concerned with both the location chosen which is close to touristic and environmentally sensitive areas, principally Hondoq Bay in Qala and the island of Comino, and also with the increase in size of the area indicated," the source said. "The current fish farming zones already serve the indus- try well and a further expan- sion does not seem justified. Once the review is complete the ministry will be making a fi- nal determination as to wheth- er amend the application as it stands or withdraw it complete- ly." The application's site area of 3.4sq.km, the expanse of 484 football grounds, will cater for a total biomass of approximately 5,000 tonnes of fish according to details presented in the appli- cation up from the 3,300 tonnes of fish catered for in the current temporary zone. The Environment and Re- sources Authority has already issued its clearance for the de- velopment but has issued a number of conditions, includ- ing regular monitoring by the authority and by avifauna ex- perts, and controls on the indi- vidual operations. Birdlife Malta had expressed concern on locating fish-farms in a marine protection area which includes important bird colonies. The Wild Birds R e g - u l a t i o n s U n i t a c k n o w l - edged that s t u d i e s have underlined "a number of uncertainties and data gaps" but still concluded that the project will not have an "irreversible impact" on the three major sea- bird species, namely Yelkouan shearwater, the Scopoli shear- water and the European storm petrel. Environmental studies have warned that that the potential increase in Yellow-legged Gulls feeding around the tuna pens would end preying on smaller storm petrels. The WBRU endorsed a num- ber of recommendations in- cluding keeping the use of lights to a minimum and the use of downward-facing shaded light sources, minimising the re- quirements to operate at night and the monitoring of gull col- onies if observed feeding at the farm. Fish-farm employees will also be trained in "appropriate bird handling and reporting". JAMES DEBONO FOMM ir-Riħ, the secluded beach in Mgarr, was the only beach of four sur- veyed in which litter items mostly orig- inated from fishing activity or shipping rather than from the public. The pristine beach remains off the beaten track and still lacks tourism and catering facilities. But a tourism development consist- ing of 16 suites, proposed instead of a rural hamlet on the road leading to the beach, has lately generated controversy, with environmentalists fearing that this would represent the beginning of the commercialisation of the area. A study on plastics now confirms that the pristine beach has been spared from the onslaught of public litter. The study by the Environment and Resources Authority reveals that the amount of litter was observed to in- crease during the summer months in all beaches, probably due to the presence of more bathers, except Fomm ir-Riħ. The pattern here is reversed, because the beach does not get many visitors due to limited accessibility. Winter months are characterised by stronger wave action, explaining the increased movement of litter onto the coastline at Fomm ir-Riħ during the winter season. Surveys on the actual number of litter items on four Maltese beaches were car- ried out between 2017 and 2019. The density of occurrence of litter items was calculated in "the number of litter items per 100m on the coastline". During the two-year period, a total of 5,519 plastic litter items were found on each 100 metres of coastline in all four beaches investigated in seven surveys. The selected beaches were two remote beaches namely Għar Qawqla (Zeb- bug Gozo) and Fomm ir-Riħ, and two recreational beaches namely Għadira and Għajn Tuffieħa. The data on the amount of litter on Maltese coastlines was compiled through the EU funded project EMFF. An additional 379 wooden items, 208 items of paper and cardboard, 161 met- al items, 70 glass items, 58 items of tex- tile and nine items of rubber were also found on each 100 metres of coastline. According to the study, 'artificial pol- ymer materials' (plastics) account for 86% of the waste found on beaches fol- lowed by wood (6%). The highest quantity of litter was ob- served in the form of cigarette butts (a form of plastic), most notably on the recreational beaches. Other common plastic litter includes straws, plastic pieces, plastic caps, lolly sticks, food containers, cups and lids and bottles. Most of the litter on the Maltese coast- line originates from the intense use of the beaches on the islands, rather than from litter washed ashore or deposited on the coastline. 69% of all rubbish on Maltese beaches is attributed to public litter while 15% originates from shipping and 11% from fishing activities. The study also surveyed the amount of litter floating in coastal waters in the proximity of beaches. The number of plastic items found through the whole monitoring period amounted to 37,000 items in every square kilometre. Litter on the surface layer of the water column of coastal waters was predominantly plastic (82%), followed by wood (14%), cloth/textiles (2%) and rubber (2%). The major litter sources in this case were public litter (72%), shipping (16%) and fishing (12%). The study also investigated the amount of litter on the seabed of shal- low waters. Artificial polymer materi- als had the highest litter density (38%) followed by paper/cardboard (31%), metal (23%) and then cloth/textile (8%). The number of plastic items found on the seabed through the entire monitor- ing period was calculated at 31,250 per square kilometre. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Limited access keeps Fomm ir-Rih clean Fomm ir-Rih: the only beach where most litter comes from the sea