Around 150 Bluefin tuna fishermen will benefit from a €720,000 scheme which aims to help those fishermen who were affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The scheme was announced on Wednesday by the Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Anton Refalo who said that the scheme was approved by the European Commission back in July, which will help support self-employed Bluefin tuna fishermen.

The scheme is to compensate the drop in prices of the Bluefin tuna on the market, and to help those fishermen continue their activities after the outbreak.

“The scheme is to help those fishermen with an MFA or MFB registration, and the fishermen are eligible to receive two euros for each kg of tuna in their quota,” Refalo said.

He explained that these fishermen must apply by no later than 22 September to benefit from the scheme. “Like every other sector, the fishermen sector too was affected by this pandemic, especially since restaurants were closed earlier in the year, so they were unable to sell as much produce as they usually do, but that did not stop them from producing fresh products for the public.”

Photos: Giuseppe Attard