Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524428
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Then please email your resume to mezcla@gmail.com/ caltomia.mt@gmail.com NICOLE MEILAK nmeilak@mediatoday.com.mt THE Fisheries Commission has announced new restrictions on recreational lampuki fishing, es- tablishing a daily bag limit on the quantity and size of fish that can be caught. According to a new EU regu- lation, recreational fishermen will only be allowed to catch a daily limit of 10kg or five lam- puki (dolphinfish) of any size. Additionally, lampuki must be at least 35cm in length, with the catching, retaining, or storing of any smaller fish being strictly prohibited. However, incidental catches are permitted, provided they do not exceed 5% of the total limit by weight. The lampuki fishing season will commence on Santa Marija, Au- gust 15, and continue until the end of December. The new reg- ulations do no affect commercial fishermen. Amateur fishermen have been allowed to participate in the lampuki season since 2021, but only on the condition that their catch is for personal use and not for sale. The new regulation is part of a multiannual management plan aimed at ensuring the sustain- able fishing of lampuki in the Mediterranean Sea. Gilbert Balzan, the Director of Fisheries, said this measure is among several recommenda- tions made by the General Fish- eries Commission for the Medi- terranean (GFCM). Initially, during negotiations, the EU recommended that rec- reational fishermen be allowed to catch one fish per person per day. However, Malta and Italy refused this recommendation. Subsequent discussions result- ed in a daily bag limit for rec- reational fishermen being set at 10kg or five fish of any size per person per day. Research indicates that Italian recreational fishermen typically catch around 20kg of lampuki per day, while in Malta, the av- erage catch is between 5 to 6kg per day. Applications for recreational fishing close on Monday, August 5, and there is no fee for regis- tration. Authorisations will start being issued on August 1 and sent out via email. Fishermen can use a rixa (han- dline) or qasba (fishing rod) from up to eight miles offshore on their authorised fishing ag- gregated devices (FADs). In con- trast, commercial fishermen are allowed to catch their fish be- yond the eight-mile limit. To ensure compliance, recre- ational fishermen must declare their catches. The Fisheries Directorate has introduced a mobile app and online system for fishermen to register their catches. Although there will be no fur- ther enforcement to ensure ad- herence to the new regulations, Balzan stressed the importance of registering catches for data collection, which can be utilized in future negotiations. "By declaring your catch, we can then use this data to show the EU that the bag limit is fair and provides a level playing field for all fishermen," Balzan said. "Registering the catches also provides us data so that Malta can negotiate for the best fishing models and quotas." The regulation will remain in place until 2026, after which a scientific board will analyze the data and the number of catches recorded by each country. During a press conference, Par- liamentary Secretary for Fisher- ies Alicia Bugeja Said added that the new regulations will benefit approximately 600 registered recreational fishermen. New daily bag limits imposed on recreational lampuki fishing Recreational fishermen will be limited to a daily catch of 10kg or five lampuki of any size THREE flights were cancelled or diverted due to the erup- tion of Mount Etna in Sicily on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Malta In- ternational Airport confirmed that Ryanair flight FR367 from Malta to Catania departed to Trapani instead, and passengers were coached from Trapani to Catania. Meanwhile, the return flight FR368 from Catania to Malta was cancelled altogether. A separate Ryanair flight de- parting from Vienna enroute to Catania landed in Malta at 11:07am on Tuesday, and de- parted to Palermo at 1:10pm. This is the second time this month that the airport of Catania had to close due to volcanic ac- tivity at Mount Etna, one of the world's most active volcanoes. Ash spewing from the vol- cano halted all flights towards Catania on Tuesday, with the airport's management announc- ing a suspension of operations until 6pm local time. Catania airport was closed to travellers on 5 July after both Et- na and Stromboli became dan- gerously active. Three flights impacted by Mount Etna eruption Still photo taken from a webcam showing the ash cloud from Etna