The gist of the article on burgeoning barracudas was not that fishermen and/or divers are complaining that they are catching fewer fish, but that pleasure fishermen are not catching any garfish at all. In fact fishing for garfish by trawl line (konz) has died a natural death.

But I guess that as a spokesman for the aquaculture industry, Dr John Refalo (TMID, 25 August) feels entitled to some latitude. Which he is not, if he wants to be fair. The article was merely reproducing what pleasure fishermen are saying, and to balance that view also gave a scientific opinion, by quoting Prof. Schembri.

There may be no scientific basis for the claim that barracuda numbers are on the rise, but there is empirical evidence - the number of barracudas started burgeoning, and the garfish started to ignore fishermen’s bait, some time after fish farms made an appearance in Malta. And I would refer Dr Refalo to a BICREF media release last month which, as reported in The Independent started by saying: “While our coastal waters are crowded with jellyfish there are increasing numbers of barracudas, turtles. . .”

Of course it is speculative, a mere opinion, to attribute the rise in barracuda numbers to the fish farms, but then, so is Dr Refalo’s claim that the existence of fish farms has no effect. What is certain is that bogue (vopi) caught near fish farms are as large and thick as soft drink bottles, and when being fried they just crumble in the pan, and that must be from the fish meal they eat. They, too, must be good bait for barracudas. And the bait attracts its predator.

As for the stringent standards and regulations fish farms are bound to comply with, no one mentioned them, except for Dr Refalo. And we all know about the Nelson eye in Malta, especially where profit is involved.

One other point, Dr Refalo, probably introducing a red herring, refers to the legal sizes for fish that may be caught. The garfish is not, as far as I know, in the list.

J. Falzon,

Rabat.