Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1506906
10 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 3 SEPTEMBER 2023 The Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence, within the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security, Reforms and Equality is seeking to recruit the following personnel: MANAGER (PROJECTS) Jobsplus Permit No. 54/2023 CLERK Jobsplus Permit No.611/2023 For further details and application guidelines contact: Commission on Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence, Zentrum Business Centre, Triq l-Imdina, Qormi Phone 2276 8301 E-mail: contactus@stopviolence.gov.mt THE tuna industry is a lucra- tive one, and Malta has firm- ly cemented itself as a major player in this global trade. The once-dwindling tuna populations have experienced a surprising resurgence, spark- ing fervent discussions and de- mands for legislative changes within the fishing community. Fishers who spoke to this newspaper suggest legislative amendments will help reduce economic and ecological waste of the sought-after fish. Bluefin Tuna's fall and rise Fifteen species of tuna are found across the ocean, and they are marine marvels – powerful predators, supremely adapted to their environment. They undertake marathon mi- grations, but can also put on incredible bursts of speed, div- ing like a torpedo. Atop the tuna ladder is the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Picture this: a fish as big as a boat (up to 3.75m), heavy as a horse (750kg+) and faster than a greyhound (70km/h). Atlantic bluefin tuna are a top predator and play an important role in maintaining balance in the marine environment by keeping populations of prey species in check. In the 1980s and '90s, Blue- fin Tuna fishing in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean experienced an alarming surge, with virtually no regulatory limits in place, creating a cha- otic free-for-all. Fishers resort- ed to the use of spotter planes and speedboats to locate tuna shoals, leading to an exponen- tial increase in fishing efforts, which, paradoxically, resulted in plummeting prices and dire consequences. The consequences of this un- checked expansion became ev- ident as the bluefin population suffered a catastrophic crash. By 1996, the Atlantic bluefin tuna was classified as endan- gered, with an astonishing 85% decline in its numbers com- pared to the 1950s. Although catch limits were introduced in the late '90s, they remained disproportion- ately high to effectively curtail the decline, exacerbated by lax monitoring and enforce- ment. But in 2006 a new set of measures were introduced, which limited and managed the capture of tuna, and this helped population numbers to Fishers lament waste of Bluefin bycatch as Bluefin Tuna populations have increased drastically over the past years in the Mediterranean Sea and with fishers having to throw away large amounts of bycatch, they are suggesting tweaks to legislation. KARL AZZOPARDI reports