Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1231020
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 APRIL 2020 NEWS JAMES BIANCHI KARL AZZOPARDI EXPORT routes for Malta's fishing in- dustry are drying up in the COVID-19 pandemic, threatening to drive out fish- ers from business. The price of fish across the island plum- meted by nearly 50% after airports and trade routes across the globe were shut down by the pandemic, and in Malta res- taurants and hotels ceased procurement of fish products. Industry insiders said the problem for fishers started at the early stage of the pandemic in Malta, when govern- ment started closing down restaurants and places of entertainment to limit the spread of the coronavirus. Most large scale and full-time fish- ermen have agreements in place with restaurants and hotels, enabling them to directly sell their catch after coming ashore. Fish normally served at restaurants like pandora fish (pagella), sea bream (pa- gru), bronze bream (bazuka) and scorpion fish (cippulazza) have all had their prices slashed. A crate of common sea bream used to be sold at €20 a kilo; it is now being sold at €12 a kilo. Lobster has also seen a r e d u c t i o n in prices, going down from €30 a kilo to €14 a kilo. Large-scale fishers normally use various fishing methods at this time of year, such as nets and hook line fishing. One of the seasonal fish normally exported during this time of the year is the scabbard fish (cinturin), with large amounts being sold to Italy. Swordfish is also seasonal at this time of the year, with over 25% of fish caught being exported. But with lack of export, the majority of fishermen have resorted to bottom fishing, with fish normally consumed in domestic households being caught using this method. Fish caught using this meth- od are considered to be of lower quality. T h e i s s u e , a c c o r d i n g to a fisherman w h o spoke to MaltaToday, is in the oversupply. "When the weather permits, everyone is out fishing for the same kind of fish, using the same meth- ods, and that is driving prices down," he said. The fishermen also remarked that since the elderly have been cautioned to stay at home, he already has seen a drop in sales, as fish street vendors and those at flea markets have not been able to sell the fish. Paul Piscopo, from the Fishing Cooper- ative, said that Malta's fish trade is large- ly based on exportation. With the situa- tion as it is, it has now become very hard to sustain. The sentiment was also shared by fish- ermen Godwin Mifsud and Arthur Mi- callef, who said that the oversaturation of the market was not sustainable for a long period of time. The current situation al- so spells bad news for li- censed tuna fishers, as no company applied for a tender issued by fishing cooperatives for the ex- portation of tuna. The tender sets a guar- anteed price for the season, which allows fishermen peace of mind for pric- ing, making their effort a n d investments into catch- ing tuna worthwhile. The only other option for tuna fishers is that of selling their catch at the national fish market, without having a price guarantee on their catch. Tuna fishing licensee Arthur Micallef said that such a system would not work. Micallef said that even 10 tuna fish at 100 kilos each day would be too much for the island. "For large scale fishers, who spend four to five nights fishing at sea, this is not sustainable, as costs to run the vessel and to pay the crew, outweigh the price at which the tuna would be sold," he said. Piscopo agreed, saying that around 95% of tuna caught in Malta is exported over- seas. He said that fishing cooperatives are currently in talks with the government over a common solution that would ben- efit all. The COVID-19 crisis shut down restaurants and hotels, and forced fish prices down by 50%. Now fishers face an uncertain future Get your claws in some lobster (psst... it's half-price) "We have been seeing increased discrimination and racist behaviour towards Asians, and this is a serious issue to us who are living in Malta to study or to work. We don't feel secure at all" engaged in Good Friday exhi- bitions and pageants over the coming days. Those plans have all been scuppered by the COVID-19 pandemic as restrictions keep people inside and away from each other. In the warehouse where they store their statues and artefacts, Clayton and Marco have erect- ed the crucifix that was to be displayed for the first time this year. "When we are in the ware- house for a couple of hours in the evening we leave the door ajar, blocked off by a wooden board so nobody can enter and if anybody passes by they can have a look inside," Clayton says. He hopes a glimpse of the cru- cifix will help people get into the Good Friday mood and medi- tate but admits very few pass by these days. Economy said: "In this emer- gency it is vital that medi- cal equipment and devices get quickly to where they are needed. By waiving customs and VAT duties on imports of these products from outside the EU, the European Commis- sion will help make those prod- ucts more accessible. I want to express again my deep respect and gratitude to health work- ers across Europe. Today's measure should help them re- ceive the equipment they need to protect themselves and con- tinue saving lives."