Letters | Wednesday, 15 October 2008

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1,090 tonnes of Italian tuna in Malta

Regarding the article in the Malta Today of 8 October, I would like to point out that the blue fin tuna held by Maltese farms caught by Italian purse-seiners adds up to 1,090,560kg as per caging declarations.
With reference to your allegations regarding tuna spotting aircraft in Malta, please note that Malta was one of the first countries to adopt legislation on this subject matter. In 2002 Legal Notice no. 122, the Civil Aviation (Restriction of Flying) Regulations, was put into force. This specifies that aircraft in support of fishing operations in the Mediterranean Sea shall not take off from, or land in, Malta throughout the month of June of each year.
The Civil Aviation and MIA confirm that there is no record of any flights operated from Malta connected with fishing operations carried out during the month of June of this year or of recent years.
The Cessna 337G Super Sky Master reported in one of the photos in your article as being present in Malta in 2007 carrying registration number N415D, was last recorded in Malta on 6 June 2006. This aircraft carried out tuna spotting operations until the 30 May 2006 in line with current legislation and then filed a flight plan for departure for 6 June. The other two aircraft reported in the other photo in your article, could not be checked as their registration numbers are not recognisable.

Dr Anthony Gruppetta
Director General, Veterinary Regulation,
Fisheries Conservation and Control

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