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maltatoday | SUNDAY • 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
EYEWITNESS
It's lampuki season, Malta's most
favourite fish, hands down. Here
are a few photos of Maltese fishers
preparing for their arduous trip out
at sea to lay down their lines to catch
the lampuka, also known as the
dolphin fish, or mahi-mahi.
In a technique known as kannizzati,
fishermen cut down the lower fronds
from palm trees which they then
weave into large, flat rafts. These
rafts are then put out to sea, usually
accompanied by the traditional luzzu
fishing boats, or more modern fuel
powered crafts.
As the sun reaches the highest
point in the sky, the lampuki fish all
clamber to seek shade under the
rafts, the fishermen wait for a large
number of fish to gather before
casting a net over them. This is a
technique that has not changed
since the Roman times and even
when the fish is used for commercial
purposes, this old method is still
used.
Maltese fishers lay these kannizzati
along kilometres of fishing lines,
which in recent years have come
under attack of poachers on the high
seas from north African countries.
Lampuki
season
PHOTOS BY JAMES BIANCHI
