Malta given tuna quota

Malta has been granted a tuna catch quota of 340 tons a year by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Rural Affairs and Environment minister George Pullicino told The Times.

This means that basically Malta has ensured it retained a quota for the catches made locally, Mr Pullicino said.

Malta was accepted as member of the commission earlier this year and the opposition had criticised the move, arguing that ICCAT would insist that the quota for Malta should be lowered, Mr Pullicino said.

Malta had always observed ICCAT's resolutions and regulations and had adopted them through the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), even though it was not then a member of ICCAT.

A spokesman for Azzopardi Fisheries, who export tuna to Asia, mainly to Japan, welcomed the quota, saying it was higher than what Malta had in past years.

Malta applied for Cooperating non-Contracting Party status last year but placed the instrument of adherence to the International Convention of Conservation of Atlantic Tunas earlier this year.

It applied to become a full member of ICCAT to ensure its quota allocation before accession to the EU on the basis of the criteria laid down for ICCAT contracting parties, Mr Pullicino said.