Blue issues

Year after year it is becoming more obvious that our fish stock is decreasing rapidly. Both amateur and professional fishermen are noting that they have to spend more time and effort to catch the same amounts of fish as in previous years. What is even more worrying is the fact that fishermen are using nets with smaller mesh sizes and hooks of a smaller size. This is leading to the catching of immature fish which results in an exponential decrease in fish stock.

Stop killing immature swordfish! A visit to open fish markets reveals that a large number of baby swordfish are being caught. Fortunately the amount of fish caught by weight is still stable.

The negative effects which certain fishing implements have on the fish population has been known since years. Continuous dredging of the seabed and uncontrolled use of nets with small mesh sizes are contributing to the depletion of fish in the Mediterranean.

Many nets are being hauled in bays and creeks and this practice must stop as this is depleting these breeding grounds from the fish. I myself have witnessed fishermen hauling their nets in bays on a daily basis. Fish enter bays to lay eggs and are caught before doing so. If they manage to do so, their young are caught while trying to swim out of the bay to mate and continue the lifecycle of the species.

Fishing with the use of nets and long lines should be prohibited and closed seasons should be contemplated. We are very much concerned with closed seasons for hunting birds but we are ignoring the fact that we are endangering our fish stock.

If one had to visit a jetty and look at the fish caught by the many shore fishermen it is easily noted that many of the fish are immature. This problem may be overlooked because not large amounts are caught but if we had to weigh all the immature fish caught from all around our coast throughout the whole year these may amount to tons of fish.

I am an amateur fisherman myself but I do not use small hooks to avoid catching small immature fish. If I accidentally do hook one I carefully remove it and throw it back into the sea. We should have hook size limits and green wardens should be responsible to make sure that people do abide by the laws.

Amounts of dusky grouper landed in our fish market have drastically decreased. One might argue that a large amount is sold directly to hotels and restaurants as this fish has a fine flesh. Underwater fishing may be a cause of the decrease in catches.

Unfortunately, pollution is an important issue. According to Assessment of Transboundary Pollution Issues in the Mediterranean Sea, every year about 55 tons of lindane - a substance forbidden within the EU in the early 1990s - are poured in the sea. Lindane is one of the so-called POPs (persistent organic pollutants), a group of 12 extremely toxic pesticides and industrial chemicals including PCBs, dioxins and DDT. Reported effects of these chemicals include carcinogenic, immunodepressant and endocrine disruption activities in both animal and humans.

Xummiemu needs to wear goggles and flippers! Unfortunately, many people litter the sea from the seashore and boats. It takes plastic many years to degrade and may serve as a trap to protected species such as tortoise.

Dr Farrugia Randon is a council member of Din l-Art Helwa.