While the aquaculture industry celebrated 20 years of existence last Thursday, the general public has remained in the dark over the indirect impact caused by these fish farms on the seabed and surrounding waters.

There are six fish farms in Maltese waters, three of which are centred on the capture and exportation of sea bass and sea bream, while the remaining three are orientated towards the capture and exportation of blue-fin tuna.

Countries such as Malta, Italy and Spain are hosts to some of the Mediterranean’s – and the world’s – largest tuna farm operations that supply Asia, and Japan in particular, for its use in sushi.

The controversy has reached fever pitch over the past summer, with a number of people arguing that the farms are drastically reducing biodiversity in the sea, while the inhabitants of Marsaxlokk and Marsascala have complained that the farms are emanating various forms of pollution that is harming the environment.

Malta Environmental and Planning Authority (Mepa) regulations stipulate that the minimum distance from land of any fish farm is one kilometre, at a depth of 50 metres.

However, current Mepa policies have relocated all tuna-penning activities further offshore, as is required by the development permits for existing tuna penning operations. It is standard to have fish farms operating 6km away from the shore. The Department of Fisheries has also applied for the setting of precise aquaculture zones – one 6km to the southeast and the other towards the north.

Speaking on behalf of Nature Trust Malta, Vincent Attard “urges the government to keep its word and continue the process of moving the tuna farms further out to sea.

“Tuna penning closer to our shores is having a negative impact on coastal and marine ecology, polluting the surrounding areas and negatively effecting tourism.

“A couple of years ago, the government said that all farms would be moved further offshore. However, to date all the farms – both those in the north as well as those in the south of the islands – are still located close to our shores.

“Moreover, the tuna is captured in its infancy. It is fattened up, killed and then exported. Where is the sustainability of the species in all this? The pattern taking shape parallels that of climate change.

“We often pondered the situation before finally realising that we need to act now in order to safeguard the environment of the future. If we wait any longer, our waters could suffer the same fate, in being entirely different from what they were a few decades ago. One only has to look at the variety, or lack thereof, of fish out there for consumption to note the dramatic changes taking place in maritime ecology,” said Mr Attard.

However, while it has been the subject of much controversy, there is no doubt that the aquaculture industry is a strong player in the Maltese economy.

Since its inception, the industry has grown from strength to strength, to the extent that it currently enjoys a turnover of roughly e128 million, while its export share in the economy stands at around 4.6 per cent. Around 236 people are currently employed in the aquaculture industry.

“Malta is uniquely placed to capitalise on the excellent qualities and favourable temperatures of the surrounding sea water. This natural resource endowment gives the Maltese aquaculture industry a competitive edge over many of its international competitors,” said Prof. Carmelo Agius – who established the National Aquaculture Centre (NAC) at Fort San Lucjan in 1988 – speaking at last Thursday’s commemoration.

MEP Prof. Edward Scicluna added that between 2005 and 2007, the industry roughly doubled both its turnover and its value-added contribution. Its direct share of the country’s GDP increased by 0.2 percentage points at a time when many other direct production sectors’ share in the GDP declined.

“The aquaculture industry is an activity in the economy which has significant effects on the structure of the domestic economy, so much so that if aquaculture activity were to cease, there would be consequent reductions in the country’s gross domestic output greater than the output produced by the aquaculture industry alone.

“The study conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) revealed that for every e1.00 of output in the aquaculture industry, another e0.24 of output is generated in other sectors of the Maltese economy, in many indirectly,” said Prof. Scicluna,

Nevertheless, the integrity of the farms has been subject to much debate, particularly over the past summer. According to Marsascala mayor Mario Calleja: “It wasn’t just once during the past summer that residents, and even people visiting our area for a swim, complained about the pollution related to the fish farms.

“Complaints were received from not only people living in the area, but also from fishermen and divers, who claim that the sea bed, especially 6km off-shore from Zonqor Point, where the fish farms are located, is being ruined day-by-day.

“Sometimes there were complaints that, following the killing of tuna for processing, those responsible left parts of the head of fish floating in the sea. There were occasions when people were swimming in the bay and came across these fish heads and other internal parts of tuna fish.

“Leftovers, especially internal parts of the fish, are supposed to be shredded and disposed of in the sea. The situation worsens significantly when there are strong winds, because these blow the fish remains closer to shore. All this is causing devastating damage to the sea bed around the Malta,” said Mr Calleja.

Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers secretary John Refalo said it is not fair that the tuna farming industry is being constantly blamed for something that is yet to be proved.

“There are so far no clear indications of what this pollution is all about. If the area and the sea are becoming contaminated, it is because oil tankers lie offshore. Other industries lying onshore, such as bunkering facilities, the power station and the Freeport, together with the dumping of heavy construction waste, which has been a recurrent theme in the past, are also having negative effects on the environment," said Dr Refalo.

Twenty years have now passed since these farms were established in our waters. During this time, studies have been postponed or cancelled, further prolonging uncertainty. After two decades, the Maltese population has a right to know the truth about what is going on in this industry.