Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1450614
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 13 FEBRUARY 2022 10 NEWS JAMES DEBONO A fish farm well over the size of a football pitch is being proposed on an offshore site at the lim- its of Malta's territorial waters, 22km south of Marsaxlokk. The proposal for a "fish rear- ing open sea facility" on a 9,954sq.m offshore site is being made by Seaculture Ltd, which is owned by the Israeli-based Dagat Hayam Holdings and two Maltese companies, Ab- alone Limited and Octupine Limited, both owned by Pierre Balzan, whose Melita Marine Group is involved in yachting and shipyard projects as well as the controversial bid for a ma- rina in Marsaskala. Shay Brosh, one of the di- rectors of the company, filed for patents in both the US and Europe for "open-sea aquacul- ture systems" which employ a semi-submersible plat-form with vertical columns, with storage and maintenance fa- cilities for supporting aquacul- ture. The system comprises an as- sembly of aquaculture cages, with vertical cavities for the corresponding columns of the platform. The technology was present- ed as a solution to rough sea conditions through a flexible fish cage system for open sea aquaculture. In this way cages may be lowered at rough sea, to avoid damage to fish due to storm conditions and strong waves. During calm sea periods, cag- es may be placed in shallower waters. Maintenance facilities would comprise a comput- erised centre for monitoring cages, manage and control the feeding process, detect signs of diseases, and allow the crew to continuously supervise the aq- uaculture. Open sea aquaculture has the advantage of being located fur- ther away from the coast than near-to-shore farms, having less of an impact on coastal ar- eas. But concerns have been ex- pressed in scientific literature with regards to the escape of fish, water pollution from un- eaten feed and waste products, and the possible spread of wa- ter-borne disease from cul- tured to wild fish. Transport Malta is objecting to the proposed location, as the area chosen has a high shipping traffic density, adding that such proposals should be made in sites with less maritime traffic. Before further assessing the proposal, the Environment and Resources Authority has asked for more information on the species of fish to be reared, the projected tonnage, feed- ing methods, and whether any support land bases will be re- quired. Seaculture Limited has de- clared it notified the govern- ment as the owner of the site, of their intentions. The government recently identified a 900sq.km zone of shallow waters around Hurd's Bank, and a 6,500sq.km belt around the island, as two areas where it intends issuing con- cessions to private companies for the production of renewa- ble energy, the production and storage of hydrogen, fish farms and the establishment of "arti- ficial islands". The government is also com- mitted to fast-track planning permits for such projects to a maximum duration of three months from the submission of all required documents includ- ing environment impact as- sessments. Apart from Hurd's Bank, which is designated as Area 1 of Malta's Exclusive Economic Zone, the entire off- shore belt extending between 12 nautical miles to 25 nau- tical miles, which spans over 6,500sq.km, is designated as Area 2. The concessions will be awarded through a three- stage procedure: starting with a pre-qualification question- naire, followed by a shortlist- ing of companies who would be invited to participate in a next stage of dialogue meetings with each shortlisted company. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Transport Malta has objected to location 22 km south of Marsaxlokk, recommending the relocation of similar projects to areas with less maritime traffic Massive fish farm proposed at edge of Malta's territorial waters