All the fish used during last week’s Tuna Festival was legally caught as per authorised quotas, the Resources Ministry said.

It contested claims by fish4tomorrow, a local environment group, that the tuna sold and consumed was caught illegally out of season or taken from the tuna farms.

The group had said it was “unjustifiable” that a country that heavily contributed to the rapid decline of tuna stocks should organise an event encouraging its consumption.

However, the ministry said Malta always ensured regulations were safeguarded and all activities fell in line with EU and international procedures.

The festival organisers, Maltese Federation of Aquaculture, said claims that tuna fishing and aquafarming were unsustainable had not followed the latest developments in the international field.

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