The closure of the season would not be necessary if purse-seiners had been controlled and monitored. Maltese co-operatives have always given their views and always asked the government to call for a conservation zone from purse-seiners. We catch only 190 tonnes every year. If it were just Maltese fishermen, the sea would still be full of tuna. Traditional long-liners like ours never harmed fish stocks.
Our fishermen never catch the national quota, but because some EU member states will lose their quota, governments are constrained to send purse-seiners to catch their national quota. This is a counter-productive rule. Member states that do not catch their quota should be praised, and fishermen should be rewarded.
It is unfair on our fisherman to close the season for everybody. The season should be closed only for those who are able to harm the stocks.
The same goes for the swordfish stocks. Italy, France, Spain and Tunisia are still fishing regularly with drift nets. These nets have been banned since 2002. Now ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) has closed the season for all. What did we and Cyprus do to harm the stocks? This is all a gimmick.

Paul Piscopo,
Association of Fisheries’ Co-operatives

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