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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 NOVEMBER 2020
EYEWITNESS
Hard life
at sea
LAMPUKI fishers were left
empty handed after a fishing trip
on Monday ended without them
catching a single fish.
MaltaToday accompanied the
lampuki fishermen out at seat
to learn of their difficulties in a
season plagued by harassment
from Tunisian poachers.
Despite not catching any-
thing, the fishers' work didn't
stop there, having to carry out
regular maintenance on their
kannizzati (floating devices).
Fishermen can be seen rede-
ploying their kannizzatti back
into the sea, having spotted
damage to the floating device.
The fishermen were quick to
point out that the palm fronds
are not replaced, but instead
more leaves are added, as mi-
cro-organisms which are at-
tracted to the leaves serve as
bait for the dolphin fish.
Having to come back to land
without any fish outlines the
harsh reality faced by fishers.
"When there aren't any fish, we
go home empty-handed. When
we have fish, we are flooded by
Tunisians. It's frustrating to
say the least," one of the fish-
ermen said.
Karl Azzopardi
KARL AZZOPARDI
