Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/269668
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 2014 14 News No haste to save the dusky grouper Burden sharing to be highlighted in European Socialists' manifesto JAMES DEBONO THE Dusky Grouper, a gentle gi- ant the target of many artisanal and sport-fishing activities, is still awaiting MEPA to finalise protec- tion plans. A €70,000 action plan outlining measures to protect the grouper was written in 2011 and issued for public consultation in May 2012. The fish can live up to 50 years and can reach a weight of 35kg, living in rocky coastal areas of the Mediterranean Sea. But its unique vulnerability is a result of the biological character- istics of the slow growing creature, which inverts sex when it reaches 12 years of age. In 2006, groupers were the fifth most caught species of local fish. "This species is particularly at risk locally, unless the population is directly protected by some forms of regulations like closed seasons, moratoriums, marine protected area or other forms of fishing re- strictions," MEPA says. This action plan is based on a three-year programme to set up four marine areas of special inter- est and study further these poten- tial sites for grouper conservation. One of the measures in the Grouper Action Plan is a certi- fication scheme for restaurants sourced by sustainable fishing practices, to encourage restaurants to buy unharpooned and correctly- sized specimens. The list will be published and the scheme will be regulated through a certification process. The grouper is already included in Schedule VIII of the 'Flora, Fau- na and Natural Habitats Protec- tion Regulations', of 2006, which comprises animals and plants of national interest and whose exploi- tation may be subject to manage- ment measures. Until a few years ago, groupers were in dramatic decline around the Mediterranean. Marine re- serves slowed down the decline, and they can now be encountered in reasonably high densities, thanks also to moratoria and the ban on spear fishing for groupers. However, according to the report the situation in Malta has remained much the same, since no such mor- atoria exist and encounters with groupers are still very sporadic and rare. Due to its behaviour, quality of the flesh, price and significant size, the grouper is a target species for fishermen, particularly for under- water hunters that are mostly con- sidered as the principle source of mortality for this fish. Harpoons, fishing with rod and line, and nets, as well as illegal ex- plosives and stupefying chemicals, are still major threats to the fish. And two years down the line, a MEPA spokesperson has con- firmed that the plan "is still being discussed with a view to its finalisa- tion following the public consulta- tion process." MALTA'S calls for burden sharing and solidarity for countries dealing with high migration pressures form an integral part of the Party of Eu- ropean Socialists' manifesto for the upcoming MEP elections, Labour candidate Cyrus Engerer said. The MEP hopeful's candidature has reiterated Malta's call for soli- darity and through his electoral battle cry, Malta l-Ewwel ('Malta First'), Engerer is calling on the Eu- ropean Union to implement mech- anisms for burden sharing. "The approved manifesto will propose concrete measures to al- leviate the influx of immigrants in Mediterranean countries. Just as Malta offered its hand of solidar- ity during the financial crisis, it is now crucial for the European Un- ion countries to also offer solidarity to alleviate the influx of migrants," Engerer argued. Addressing the President of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrat Hannes Swoboda, Engerer insisted that the time of ac- tion has now come and that the EU must not limit itself to statements but extend its intentions with con- crete measures. Echoing the government's calls, Engerer insisted that Mediterranean countries should not be left alone to shoulder the influx of migrants, but conversely, all EU countries should shoulder the responsibility. "These proposals will address the issue of migration and will be high- lighted in the manifesto of the Eu- ropean socialists," Engerer said. He also argued that the manifesto will also encourage the European Union to engage with the asylum seekers' countries of origin and moreover, they will help avoid hu- manitarian tragedies.