Malta secures action against 21 vessels for illegal lampuki fishing

Malta has secured action against 21 vessels, including the Italian vessel Sonia, for illegal lampuki fishing following a decision by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).

Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Welfare Alicia Bugeja Said announced the development on Sunday, describing it as a "historic victory for our country after years of work against illegal fishing on the lampuki lines of Maltese fishermen."

"Today at the meeting of the Commission responsible for Mediterranean Fisheries (GFCM), it was decided to take action on 21 vessels including the vessel Sonia which was also reported by Maltese fishermen," Bugeja Said wrote on Facebook.

The minister thanked European Commissioner Costas Kadis and the European Commission, MEP Thomas Bajada, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and the fishermen and their families who kept in constant contact about the situation.

"Together we have carried out hard work for justice in the Mediterranean Sea," she said.

The action follows months of complaints by Maltese fishermen about illegal lampuki fishing by Italian and Tunisian vessels during the closed season.

In August, Labour MEP Thomas Bajada had called for urgent action by the European Commission over the matter, citing social media footage showing Tunisian and Italian fishers catching lampuki as early as 25 July 2025.

Lampuki fishing in the Mediterranean is only allowed from 15 August to 31 December, and any fishing carried out outside the season is in breach of GFCM regulation.

"Recent social media footage, publicly shared by Tunisian and Italian fishers as early as 25 July 2025, appears to depict active fishing and possible commercialisation of Common Dolphinfish during this prohibited period, which remains in force until 14 August 2025," Bajada had said in a letter to Commissioner Kadis.

The MEP had called for the European Fisheries Control Agency and national authorities to urgently investigate the alleged illegal activities and formally raise the issue at the GFCM Compliance Committee in November.

"These allegations represent a clear threat to the integrity of the jointly agreed GFCM multiannual management plan and to the sustainability of the Common Dolphinfish stock," Bajada said at the time.

He pointed out that Maltese small-scale fishers had demonstrated full compliance with the established rules and had not deployed Fish Aggregating Devices, known in Malta as kannizzati, in full respect of the management plan.

"This situation raises serious questions of enforcement and fairness," the MEP told the commissioner. Bajada also noted this was not the first time the issue had been raised, with parliamentary questions made by him on 13 August 2024.

The issue of illegal lampuki fishing has been a longstanding concern for Maltese fishermen. In 2019, MaltaToday had reported how Tunisian fishers were plundering Gozitan fishing grounds, with the situation escalating to Maltese fishers reporting being threatened by Tunisians wielding machetes and Molotov cocktails.

PN MP Peter Agius had also raised the issue over the last summer, claiming that when he reported the abuse, "the government chose to resort to calling fake news instead of taking action."

Agius had protested that when he wrote to the Fisheries Commissioner about the matter, he was met with a reply stating that Malta did not report any illegal lampuki fishing.