It has become a common sight. The more popular rocky bays in Malta, particularly those in Sliema, are being stripped of wildlife as people constantly plunder for sea urchins, fish and shellfish.

We often think of the environment in terms of pollution, waste separation and recycling. We still lag behind, but we are improving in that respect. But there is another aspect of safeguarding our environment which we seem to be ignoring – and that is wildlife along our foreshores.

Various reports of such instances reached this newspaper last week. One involved a case where Sicilian tourists parked themselves on a beach in Sliema and proceeded to ‘hunt’ for small shellfish. Within 30 minutes, they had collected two bucketfuls of the creatures and then left – one assumes they eventually ate them.

Another report received by this newspaper involved a local man who was snorkeling in Sliema. This time, sea urchins were the target. He was seen leaving the area with two full sacks of the creatures. Again, one presumes they were eaten.

Another report involved a spear fisherman. Not content with a catch or two, this person was seen exiting the sea with some six fish – all good specimens. This is just unsustainable. There is nothing wrong with people enjoying the bounty of the seas – far worse things take place in the world of commercial fishing. But it is also a question of greed and quotas. If people keep pillaging the coast at this rate, there will be nothing left for anyone to enjoy within a few years.

Many snorkelers and divers have already noticed a sharp drop in the presence of wildlife around certain areas. Some argue that fish are not as dumb as we think and hide, but the truth of the matter is that we are disrupting the food chain and ecosystem.

In most countries around the world, one can see environmental wardens (or the relevant section of ‘soft’ police) on patrol around coastlines to ensure that similar incidents do not occur. We have the money to place two wardens in a street, just to watch traffic sail by and wave a few cars through every now and then. So why don’t we have the funds to set up a Green Warden wing? Our beaches are littered with cigarette butts and people still leave litter all over the place, despite the placement of separated waste bins at decent intervals. The only way we are going to save our coasts is if people are made to pay. And by pay, we mean that there should be very stiff on-the-spot fines for litter bugs.

Of course, we also need legislation. The seas are literally becoming more and more barren every summer. Unless quotas and laws preventing pillaging are introduced, people are just going to continue to do as they please and take ‘the sea belongs to everyone’ attitude. We need a change in mindset. The younger generations are more aware and they are often good teachers to their own parents. But there are still generations of people who are simply ignorant of the harm they cause to the environment. It is a serious issue and it needs to be addressed. Just like anglers in certain countries have to throw fish back into the water if they are of a certain size, and just like they have quotas, we should too. If we don’t act now, there will be nothing left to save.