This position led to the formation of Malta’s political and economic situation and eventually led up to the creation of an independent country. Dr Zammit Dimech said this during a visit to Marsascala to attend a ‘cleaner sea’ activity

yesterday.

Dr Zammit Dimech said Malta’s positioning led to the EU granting a 25-mile fishing conservation zone. He also said that the EU had granted funds to Maltese fishermen to modify their fleets and to improve facilities at ports and the fish market. He also said that the lampuka was included on the list of fish marketed in the common market.

Dr Zammit Dimech said Malta’s vocation to the sea was confirmed by the appointment of Joe Borg as EU Fisheries and Maritime Commissioner. “The sea is a source of economic activity for the country and our Freeport is one of the most active in the Mediterranean. We have numerous yacht marinas and facilities and shipyards. And we also have one of the largest maritime registers in the world,” said Dr Zammit Dimech.

He also said that the sea around Malta first sprouted Malta’s tourism trade. “The sun and sand might not be such important aspects to attract tourists to Malta, the sea is still very important as it has given rise to niche areas such as diving, cruise passengers and yachting,” he said.

He said that to keep this attraction, we must keep our sea clear of any waste and rubbish. He said that the Tourism Ministry even had two departments, one for cleaning beaches and the other for controlling maritime pollution. He said any measures for cleaning up the sea and the seabed were to be encouraged. He also said the public should be made conscious of the fact that dumping items at sea can harm the flora and fauna which grows on the sea bed.

Dr Zammit Dimech appealed for everyone to keep the sea and beaches clean. “We are not judged by how clean we keep our homes but on how clean we keep our streets and public areas,” he concluded.