Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/722943
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 SEPTEMBER 2016 News 3 Tuna ranchers blame oily herring for sea slime MIRIAM DALLI STUDIES carried out by the Envi- ronment and Resources Authority have blamed the feeding method adopted by tuna farm operators for the slime and foam that has been repeatedly appearing along Malta's favourite swimming zones. But according to the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Produc- ers, it is the excessively oily herring purchased from Hungary and fed to the Bluefin tuna, which is caus- ing all the slime. "This year we changed the sup- plier and the feed is greasier than usual, as it contains more fat… the truth is that it took everyone by sur- prise," lawyer and FMAP secretary John Refalo told a news conference. For those who thought that plan- ning infringements and an increase in harvesting has also played a part in polluting the seas, Refalo pushed forward the message that this was not the case. "There has been a 10% increase in the fish but quotas are being observed 100% and the problem has nothing to do with quotas" he claimed. "Even in previous years we had sporadic incidents… but which industry doesn't leave an impact? What happened this year is excep- tional and there is no chance that it will repeat itself. No irreversible damage has been caused but it has upset people," he said. "This problem should be on its way out." Refalo reassured that the inci- dent won't "repeat itself". Why? "Because the season is almost over. This has unfortunately left a sour taste and our reaction wasn't quick enough. But we cannot demonise the industry… every industry has its faults but we never moved to shut them down." In Refalo's words, the oil released from the herring and how it breaks down in the sea when it comes into contact with plankton, bacteria and so forth has caused the sludge. "The spike in the feeding also coincided by a spike in use of the sea by other sectors." The federation called the news conference to explain its side of the story and, mostly, to insist that the tuna farms need to be relocated further out on the condition that they "cannot" be placed all in one area. Over the years, authorities have proposed that the tuna farms are relocated to the south-east, some 6 kms off the coast. The proposal has been strongly opposed by the operators who say that it is "crazy" to have all fish farms located in one area. "There has been a progressive in- crease of cages over the years but there are empty ones as well." Tomorrow operators need to pre- sent the authorities with a plan of how they are to address the cause of the sludge that has been pollut- ing the sea and spoiling bathers' outing to the beach on the hot sum- mer days, but insist that action can- not happen in 30 days. "How can you relocate a farm within a space of three weeks? There is a lot of preparatory work and investment to be done," Refalo said. The Planning Authority has made it clear with the operators that the way they are operating their tuna fish farms today is "to- tally unacceptable and is negatively impacting the coastal bathing wa- ter, which is enjoyed by locals and tourists alike". AJD Limited, Fish & Fish Limited and Malta Fish Farming Ltd all face some sort of infringements. Two of the tuna fish farms are located in the north part of the island, close to Comino and is-Sikka l-Bajda, off St Paul's Bay, and another two are located off the Marsaxlokk area. Insisting that the issues needing to be addressed were bigger than "administrative ones" – such as having more cages than declared or breeding the more profit-turn- ing tuna as opposed to sea bream or sea bass – Refalo reiterated that the industry had grown but regula- tions were never updated to meet the demand. Saviour Ellul, director of MFF Ltd, argued that today's problems have been coming since 2008. "Controls have increased to ensure trace- ability of the fish; but whilst these controls increased, and we are now in a situation where fish has to be grouped separately depending on how they were caught, we didn't evolve with the system in terms of regulations. We are now saying the industry needs an overhaul." Turning the blame on the author- ities, Refalo complained that the system was too bureaucratic, with operators requiring permits from four different entities: Transport Malta, the Planning Authority, the Lands Department and the Fisher- ies Department. In his introductory comments the FMAP secretary was eager to ex- plain the industry's input into the local economy. "The industry is a success story in Malta. Whilst experiments with tuna farming failed in Sicily, Greece and Cyprus, Malta's industry em- ploys 1,000 workers fulltime, di- rectly and indirectly… upping the pressure on the industry will have a devastating effect; but it is cur- rently not regulated as it should be," Refalo said. "Fish-farming is here to stay but we also recognize that we have ob- ligations. Does the country want us to take our operations to other EU states? This is not a threat but a re- ality that will push us elsewhere if we cannot work here. Other coun- tries have incentives for this type of business." Operators are also calling for reg- ulations that force every operator to insure their operations, but in- surers have pointed out "problems" with having fish farms all set in one zone. They also want a bigger space for their farms – ICAT regulations need them to separate fish based on where they were caught – and an exclusion zone of 150 metres surrounding the fishing. The cur- rent proposed zone measures 3,000 metres by 1,500 metres, which ac- cording to Refalo can only house two farms. "My concern is that the solution being looked at is one where the fish farms are out of sight and out of mind. What the operators want are solid regulations for minimum standards," Refalo said. The operators now want the government to guarantee that the industry won't be shut down. Ac- knowledging that this was never the message sent out by the govern- ment, Refalo said he was confident that a way forward would be agreed upon. FMAP secretary John Refalo addressing the media. Seated behind him are (second from left) Charles Azzopardi of Azzopardi Fisheries and (right) Saviour Ellul, of Malta Fish Farming 'This year we changed the supplier and the feed is greasier than usual, as it contains more fat'