Tuna season yields mixed results

Tuna landings from long lines are about five per cent higher this year over 2003, Charles Azzopardi, of Azzopardi Fisheries in St Paul's Bay, said yesterday.

In spite of this bonanza - when one takes into account that there was a record catch of blue fin tuna last year - the catch using purse seins for the replenishment of tuna pens has dropped by 60 per cent.

Asked what could have caused this drop, Mr Azzopardi put it down to cooler seas. He said that at the start of the season, which extends between May 1 and the first week of July, the sea temperature was around 17°C. To rise further to the surface, so that they may be caught by purse seins, tuna need a temperature of 21°C.

The low sea temperature also affected the movement of sardines and anchovies on which tuna feed.

"This year the fishermen equipped with long lines landed 1,650 heads of tuna, which amount to about 247,500 kilos. Between 85-90 per cent of these catches were exported to Japan by Azzopardi Fisheries," he added.

Azzopardi Fisheries have contracts with Maltese fishermen to buy most of their catch. But most of the tuna for their two farms - one between Comino and Mtarfa and the other near Sikka l-Bajda, off Qawra - were caught off Sardinia.

Mr Azzopardi said it would take 35 days for the pens filled with live tuna to be tugged to Malta. Because of strong sea currents, the boat towing the pen would have to cruise along at one mile an hour and at times at half a mile an hour. "Sailing faster would kill the fish," he said.

Mr Azzopardi said that the smaller catches would not necessarily mean great financial losses because the price the fish fetches depends very much on demand and supply. "For example, last year we had to cut the selling prices substantially because of the abundant catch."

Ivan Portanier, a broadcaster on fishing, said that by this time of the year the tuna would have spawned and would be on its way out of the Mediterranean. A considerable number of tuna would, however, stay on longer, pushing up catches marginally.

"Blue fin tuna that hatches in the Mediterranean returns to the Mediterranean to spawn," he added.

After this week, most of the fishermen will start preparing for the swordfish season and then gear up for lampuki fishing, he said.