Din l-Art Ħelwa has called on the Ministry of Resources and Rural Affairs to introduce and enforce regulations that will protect swordfish.

It said it appears that this species is in greater danger of being overfished than tuna because there is little or no legislation regulating its catch, “while it is encouraging that quotas for the catch of Atlantic blue fin tuna, should, if respected over the coming years, ensure the sustainability of this species.”

Local fishing statistics show that, over the past few years, the overall weight of the swordfish catch has not decreased. There are, however, no statistics that refer to the number of fish being caught, only to the total weight landed.

“This leads to the perception that there is no problem with swordfish stocks while it is becoming evident that a greater number of smaller immature fish are making up this weight. In fact it is perceived, also by other international NGOs, that especially this year a large number of immature swordfish is being caught as can be seen when visiting any fishmonger shop, Din l-Art Ħelwa said.

It expressed concern that there is inadequate international legislation aimed at regulating swordfish fishing and it asked that this be updated with urgency under the forthcoming updating of the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

There is substantial lack of information on the conservation status of nearly one-third of Mediterranean marine fish which are assessed as Data Deficient – ċerna, sargu, shark, merluzz, octopus and others. However, the worst fact is that the last assessment for swordfish was carried out by the IUCN in 1996, a good 15 years ago.

Five prominent environmental NGOs – Din l-Art Ħelwa, Greenhouse, Nature Trust, Sharklab and GetupStandup – continue to work together to form ‘Fish4Tomorrow’, in an awareness campaign that overfishing has got out of hand.

The campaign encourages responsible action. Din l-Art Ħelwa urged everybody to spread the word. Baby swordfish, sold in Malta as a delicacy both in fish shops and in restaurants, should not be purchased or eaten, to allow these to mature and therefore be able to reproduce. Baby swordfish should only be… food for thought, it said.