Two fishermen will be getting over Lm80,000 from the European Union to give up their fishing vessel and have it removed from the Maltese Fisheries Register and the European register when their fishing licence expires.

Parliamentary secretary for farming and fisheries Dr Francis Agius yesterday attended the signing of the agreement that sees the Cutajar brothers handing over their vessel to Heritage Malta.

Dr Agius said this agreement was possible thanks to a financial grant given by the European Union.

The grant is being used to bring down the number of category A and B fishing vessels registered in Malta, and applies to vessels that are more than 10 years old. The vessels are either scrapped or used for other purposes.

A total of 10 applications were received but only three were eligible, Dr Agius said. They will benefit from a total of e511,760 or Lm219,699.

Seventy-five per cent of the funds are paid by the EU and 25 per cent by the government.

Dr Agius said the vessels was being given to Heritage Malta because of its long service history. The vessel, called Temptation, was built in the UK in 1943 and was used for some time as a minesweeper.

The Cutajar brothers bought the vessel in 1978, which by that time had been turned into a yacht.