The proposal is being studied by the authority and a number of different reports are being prepared, exploring the decisions, advantages and disadvantages. “One would have to weigh all the pros and cons,” Dr Agius said. “Special attention should be given to the risks for the industry... should an epidemic break out, could it be contained?”

Dr Agius was speaking at a press conference while visiting Malta Fishfarming Ltd’s tuna pens yesterday, 20 miles off Marsaxlokk bay. Mr Salvu Ellul, the owner of the farm, also commented on the proposal saying that a number of studies were being made and that a decision would have to be taken following their publication.

Mr Ellul said that the decision probably did not affect their business, adding however that he could not speak for the rest of the farms. “Our farms are just a few miles away from the area earmarked anyway,” he said.

Mr Ellul gave an overview of the company’s operations, with an occasional interruption by a frenzy of tuna feeding off the chuff thrown in the pen by a nearby diver who was surveying the feeding.

The company has a contract with a number of tuna fishermen, from whom they purchase tonnes of live fish, Mr Ellul explained. The catch is then transported to the fish farm and kept there for some months.

During this time the fish are fed mixtures of fats and nutrients, such as the Omega 3. This process fattens the fish and makes them more nutritious, while at the same time increasing their value.

The average price per kilo for blue fin tuna this year dropped by 17 per cent when compared to last year, reaching the highest value during May at Lm2.25 per kilo. However, Mr Ellul explained that this was a normal occurrence, saying that just like it was the case with other livestock, tuna penning had its good and bad seasons.

As much as 90 per cent of the tuna penned locally is exported. In fact, Mr Ellul explained that when the fish mature to the desired tonnage, the buyers, usually Japanese, send in special vessels to gut the fish and transport them to their destination.

The fish are gutted by the buyers’ crew, Mr Ellul explained. “Cutting these fish requires special skill.” After they are gutted, the fish are then blast frozen and stored with special equipment that can freeze the fish in a few seconds to temperatures of below 60 degrees Celsius.

When the season ends, around this time of the year, the nets are emptied and taken ashore for maintenance purposes. The season starts approximately in April, with the peak usually reached in May when 68 per cent of catches are made.

Dr Agius spoke of the challenges faced by Maltese fishermen. He said that Maltese fishermen are continuously facing tougher competition, both during their fishing operations and in their marketing. He said that the central Mediterranean seas attract fleets from all over the region and even from more distant countries, which use large-scale fishing methods.

Oceanographic and other physical conditions in this area of the Mediterranean induce tuna to come to the upper layer of the sea where they can be more vulnerable and therefore easier to catch. This fact attracts fleets of fishing vessels to these waters that were once exploited exclusively by Malta and neighbouring countries, Dr Agius said.

The tonnage exported this year increased by nine per cent, and fishermen turned to the swordfish catches earlier than usual to compensate for the low pricing on tuna. The tuna pricing had hit a low of Lm1.50 per kilo in July; therefore fishermen turned to swordfish which sold at a guaranteed Lm3.50 per kilogramme. He said that even the approximate size of the individual fish had dropped, from 300 to an average of 180-200 kilogrammes.

Dr Agius stressed that the government will keep on safeguarding the Maltese blue fin tuna fishery, adding that the industry accounts for more than 30 per cent of the total annual landings, both in terms of weight and value, he added.

The exploitation of the blue fin tuna is regulated by the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), of which Malta has become a contracting party in 2003.

Over the last few years, Dr Agius explained, Malta has also participated actively in scientific programmes related to the species and contributed to scientific knowledge, required for the effective management of fish, throughout the region. Dr Agius also stressed the need for abuses to be reported, when possible. He said that the problem of illegal unreported fishing is a reality that undermines any efforts to ensure sustainable fishing.