Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1525812
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 25 AUGUST 2024 MATTHEW FARRUGIA mfarrugia@mediatoday.com.mt MARINE biologist Alan Deidun has called for the end of what he described as "a free-for-all" per- mitting boat owners to anchor anywhere they please, leading to the degradation of marine life. In comments to MaltaToday about the issue, Deidun spoke of the risk to marine life as a re- sult of thousands of boatowners who are allowed to anchor their vessels almost anywhere they please. Specifically, the University of Malta professor raised alarm over the degradation of the Posidonia oceanica, a species of seagrass only found in the Mediterranean Sea. Sometimes referred to as "the lungs of the Mediterranean" due to its oxygen production, Deidun stated that this is "a key- stone species," as countless other species of marine life are depend- ent on its presence. "The Maltese islands have al- ready lost too much Posidonia oceanica during the past dec- ades," Deidun said referring to the land reclamation and com- mercial activities in the south of the country. He explained that the bay that starts from Delimara and ends at Kalafrana has seen its share of loss of the vital species, especially due to the creation of the Free- port. Nowadays however, Deidun says that the biggest threat to the seagrass is the ever-increasing number of small boats that lay anchor on these sensitive species. Images he shared on social media show the extent of the damage that anchors can do to the seagrass. Deidun explained that the images were taken from Comino's Crystal Lagoon, as he lamented the fact that each year, more and more boats continue to destroy the species. The biologist points to enforced legislation as the only measure that can reduce the degradation of Posidonia oceanica. Deidun referenced strict legislation that was approved in the west of the Mediterranean, as the Balearic Is- lands had prohibited anchoring on any Posidonia meadows sur- rounding the archipelago. MaltaToday also spoke to the Environmental and Resources Authority (ERA) which acknowl- edged the species' deterioration due to human impacts, but stat- ed that the meadows "are in a good state of health." An ERA spokesperson also pointed this newspaper to a 2023 document on conservation ob- jectives and measures for Malta's marine Natura 2000 sites. Howev- er, the 78-page document only references awareness campaigns on the importance of the sea- grass, as there is no mention of introducing areas where anchor- ing is prohibited. "Another measure to aid the preservation of Posidonia in relation to anchoring seeks to provide environment-friendly al- ternative methods for anchoring activities," the ERA spokesperson stated. He concluded by saying, "ERA will be implementing a pilot ac- tion as part of a LIFE IP project led by the Energy and Water Agency (EWA) on such new alternative anchoring methods." Marine biologist calls for end to anchoring 'free- for-all' threatening vital seagrass Photo taken at Comino's Crystal Lagoon shows the extent of damage anchors can cause to the seabed. Inset: Marine biologist Alan Deidun (Photo: James Bianchi/MaltaToday) on the horizon Party? trative, focused on the inter- nal functioning of the party. The president is responsible for overseeing the party's day- to-day operations, ensuring that party activities align with its policies and objectives, and managing internal party affairs. Until Saturday, the role of Labour president was the on- ly one to see a runoff between two candidates – former may- or Alex Sciberras and former TVM Head of News Norma Saliba. A controversial figure, Saliba was pushed out of the national broadcaster's newsroom, and is reported to have taken place after repeated clashes with its executive chairman, Mark Sammut. She will be facing former mayor Alex Sciberras, who in the Facebook post announcing his nomination, spoke about the need to new ideas and dif- ferent voices that "would keep the party a lively and dynamic movement." Sciberras' nomina- tion was proposed by Ian Borg and seconded by Clifton Grima. Sciberras, who was a member of the PL executive, is a lawyer and the son of deceased judge Philip Sciberras. MaltaToday had reported on how Sciberras was consider- ing running for Labour depu- ty leader for party affairs and was against a change in statute which allows members of par- liament to contest the role. Special delegate for implementation of electoral manifesto A role drawn up in what many have labelled as an attempt to quiet down firebrand Jason Mi- callef, it is still unclear what the role of Special delegate for im- plementation of electoral man- ifesto entails, given government already has a similar role within its Cabinet, with Minister Ste- fan Zrinzo Azzopardi tasked with the implementation of the electoral manifesto during last January's reshuffle. So far, no nominations have been submitted for the roles of Vice President, Internation- al Secretary, Organizational Secretary, and twelve ordinary members of the executive. Left to right: Ian Borg, Alex Agius Saliba, Jason Micallef, Alex Sciberras and Norma Saliba