Fish farm lobby takes responsibility for sea slime: 'We humbly apologise'

Fish farm operators have admitted that sea slime reported in the past weeks is the result of their operations and have pledged “more investment” to prevent a recurrence.

In an apologetic statement issued on Saturday afternoon, the Federation of Aquaculture Producers said operators have collected around six cubic metres of sea slime this summer, using various boats deployed by farm operators.

“The Federation humbly apologises for those occurrences of nuisance at sea which results from aquaculture and is making all efforts to clean up any nuisance at sea,” it said.

Previously, the federation stopped short of assuming responsibility for the slime, with its CEO telling Times of Malta that slime “is a composition of so many different things” when asked if farms were causing it.

Significant amounts of slime were spotted along Malta’s northern coast this past week, with swimmers reporting multiple slicks in popular bathing spots in St Paul’s Bay and Sliema, among others.

Locals have blamed the slime on fish farm operators in an offshore location between Malta and Gozo known as Sikka l-Bajda. When Times of Malta visited the area, fish farm workers on a boat were working to clean up slime.

The Nationalist Party said on Saturday that the government was not doing enough to address the issue and accused it of being “on holiday” while local beaches suffered.

In its statement, the Federation of Aquaculture Producers said reports of slime have “decreased significantly” and argued that its clean-up boats were going above and beyond cleaning up pollution caused by aquaculture operations.

Clean-up boats had collected “around 8 cubic meters of various waste, such as polystyrene” the federation said, urging other maritime industries to also conduct clean-ups because “flotsam goes beyond slime.”

“We strongly believe that everyone should enjoy clean seas, and as an industry, we are making sure that this is done with the least and minimal concerns. When these concerns are the result of the industry, the industry will be the first to address these instances,” it said.

“During the past years, the industry has made significant efforts to minimize inconvenience, and despite the fact that these have reduced, it will continue to endeavour to eliminate this once and for all. Hence, in the future, the industry will see more investment to address these concerns.”