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The fishing boats at Valletta: A small plane humming up
above spots the school of tuna.
The
bearings are radioed to the fleet of trawlers. With an open
throttle, the boats head towards their prey.
Once
spotted, the boats circle the school and a net is lowered
all around. The trap is laid and it’s time to haul
in the kill.
This
is a common scenario at this time of the year when the tuna-fishing
season is in full swing in the Mediterranean.
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local
news
Italians use Malta-based planes
to spot tuna
By Kurt
Sansone
Foreign tuna-fishing
trawlers ploughing the seas off Malta are using small private
planes based at Gudja airport to spot schools of blue fin tuna.
The trawlers,
many of which were berthed at Grand Harbour over recent days because
of inclement weather, are mostly Italians and Spanish.
The use of
spotter planes for tuna fishing is a common occurrence. However,
in 1997, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean
passed a resolution recommending the prohibition of the use of
aeroplanes and helicopters in support of fishing operations during
the month of June.
Malta, along
with other Mediterranean countries, is a member of the GFCM.
MaltaToday
tried talking to the Italian fishermen at Grand Harbour about
their fishing practices, but they were very discreet. When asked
how they spotted tuna schools, the Italians cited their vast experience
in the field while admitting the use of underwater sonar equipment.
At no point did they talk about spotter planes.
Nonetheless,
Maltese fishermen who spoke to MaltaToday claimed that the Italians
had hired or brought over at least three spotter planes to help
them in their fishing operations. A source close to the airport
confirmed these claims, however attempts to verify them officially
proved futile.
Malta International
Airport does not keep information on the operations of the planes
that land at the airport. An MIA official told MaltaToday that
the Aviation Services Section is only interested in what type
of aircraft lands at the airport and that landing and take-off
procedures are conducted in a safe and orderly manner.
The blue
fin tuna fishing season continues for the next two months and
it is more than likely that the Italians will continue to use
the spotter planes to hunt their prey.
The fishing
tactics used by these foreign trawlers came under scrutiny last
week when Labour MP Noel Farrugia asked the Fisheries Director
to investigate claims that the trawlers had damaged nets laid
down by Maltese fishermen.
Fisheries
Minister Ninu Zammit assured parliament last Monday that the claims
were being investigated, however nothing else has been heard since
then.
MaltaToday
asked the ministry for an official reason as to why the foreign
boats were berthed at Grand Harbour and what type of fishing tackle
is used to catch the tuna. The ministry had not replied to our
questions on the matter at time of going to press yesterday.
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