Divers flag risk of possibly fatal incidents from fishers allowed near wrecks

A group of 50 divers are protesting the inclusion of coastal waters for the practice of fishing trolling for surface and pelagic wish, insisting that divers are facing occupational health and safety risks.

Diving instructor David Agius said fishing vessels trolling for surface or pelagic fish (sajd bir-rixa) were posing a danger to diving instructors and guides, as well as divers, due to moving fishing lines at both surface and below within the area immediately surrounding diving wrecks.

“The sound of engines in the vicinity is heard much closer for a diver in the water, possibly leading inexperienced or visiting divers unfamiliar with such noise to panic. The automatic reaction to panic by a diver is to hold their breath. Holding breath or getting snagged by a fishing hook may result in uncontrolled ascents, causing extreme danger to the diver, instructor and guides, as well as potentially fatal consequences,” Agius said.

The danger has been raised in parliament by Nationalist MP Ivan Bartolo, with fisheries minister Anton Refalo defending what he termed a “balanced” approach between the needs of recreational users, and the livelihood of professional fishermen.

But Agius said these sites, only recently introduced as fishing zones by Refalo’s ministry, were small and just less than 1% of coastal waters. “They would not realistically affect the livelihood of fishermen or their families. Rather, they might serve to improve fish stocks in surrounding areas.”

Agius said the 2023 notice to mariners had to be amended so that there could be a better definition of what constitutes a “safe distance” between trolling and angling fishers near diving wrecks.

“The ‘safe distance’ acknowledges the risk, but is ambiguous, leaving much scope for different interpretations. For divers the only safe distance would be outside the small, delineated conservation zones and their shore entrances, which at their largest consist of little more than two football grounds,” Agius said.

The diver said continued education and patrols are necessary to safeguard divers at sea. Agius said a diver who was a member of the armed forces died in 2022 after being hit by a boat, albeit not within one of these zones, but during breath-hold diving near St Paul’s Bay while using a surface marker buoy.

“Similar near-misses have been reported multiple times over the last years in these conservation areas, both at surface and underneath,” Agius said. “Unchecked, these near-misses or potential accidents will tend to increase due to the increased practice of freediving locally on both an individual as well as commercial basis, as well as the increased numbers of diving tourists.”

Agius said Malta’s diving community would also consider any court action should the authorities fail to take action, should risks turn into incidents. “Recently, past experience of lax regulation in the construction sector has been chastised at length in the Jean Paul Sofia inquiry report. We hope the same does not need to happen within the diving sector to see meaningful change,” Agius said.