MP claims photographs prove illegal tuna pens still in place

Democratic Party's Godfrey Farrugia has said that aerial photographs taken on Thursday morning prove that action to remove illegal tuna pens has still not been taken.

In response to a parliamentary question yesterday, Environment Minister Jose Herrera confirmed that 10 illegal tuna pens were discovered on the St Paul’s Bay fish farm, and that orders were given for the cages to be removed.

But Farrugia insists that the aerial photograph was taken this morning at 8am, and clearly shows 21 tuna pens – well above the 12 that are permitted by regulations.

When contacted by this newspaper, a spokesperson for the Planning Authority said that that the monitoring and enforcement of activities related to fish farms are within the remit of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department.

Aerial shots of the temporary tuna farm location taken at 8:10am today, according to PD MP Godfrey Farrugia

This was confirmed by Environment Minister Jose Herrera in parliament this evening when he said that it was indeed this department which “regularly monitors” the fish farms. “The monitoring is focused on the growing of the fish. The frequency of the monitoring varies also according to the type of process being undertaken by the farm, also depending on prerequisites set by international obligations,” the Minister said in response to a parliamentary question put forth to him by Farrugia.

However, Farrugia insists that the department are not capable of monitoring the farms as they do not have the means to do it. The department does not own any boats, and although they make seek to hire boats owned by the AFM, “it is evident that these venues as a monitoring possibility were not used,” Farrugia said.

Farrugia also claims that Herrera told him that as long as the tuna pens were only frames, there was nothing illegal at all and they could remain.