The issue of Tunisian fisherman plundering in Maltese waters during Lampuki season needs to be addressed directly with Tunisian as well as Italian authorities, suggested former PN MEP candidate Peter Agius in a letter to the European Commissioner for Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius.
During this week, Tunisian fishing boats were spotted in Maltese waters despite the government stating that the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) will be surveilling the situation and enforcing the law a few weeks back.
The reason behind such disciplinary action being taken is the multiple reports of plundering over the years when the Lampuki season starts rolling in.
In light of Tunisian boats being spotted once again, Agius called out the Maltese Fisheries Ministry in a Facebook post saying that the announcement about enforcement was just a publicity stunt.
Peter Agius
Today, Agius took it a step further and sent a letter to Sinkevičius about the situation.
Agius primarily thanked the Commissioner for taking action to protect Maltese fisherman on the situation back in January of 2019 when this issue was reported. However, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the fact that this letter is addressing the same situation once again.
“Unfortunately, and although there are now clearer provisions of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), and despite a public promise by the Maltese authorities to be present in the waters in question, the situation has not improved at all. So much so that there have been numerous reports this week that Maltese and Gozitan fishermen are being robbed by Tunisian fishermen who are reaping the fruits that the former sowed and cultivated,” Agius said.
He believes that the issue needs to be tackled more directly with Tunisian authorities as well as Italian authorities. He put forward a number of questions for the commissioner to answer and consider for immediate action since the Lampuki season is limited to December;
“Can you confirm that the EU has funded Tunisia to equip Tunisian vessels with a Vessel Monitoring System (VSM) tracking system?” he asked. “I would like to call for the EU Commission's assistance to verify whether such tracking systems are being used as expected from Tunisian vessels and, if so, can the Tunisian authorities submit a detailed report of the fishing of Tunisian vessels in the waters south-west and north-west of Malta where Maltese fishermen have their gear.”
Secondly, he said the European Fisheries Control Agency has the competence to monitor compliance with regulations of international waters which it is already doing regularly in relation to fishing for tuna. “In your opinion, wouldn’t it be wise for this Agency to monitor fishing for Lampuki within the waters in question and take action against illegalities?” Agius asked the Commissioner.
Virginijus Sinkevičius (Credit: European Union)
He also pointed out that the fishing problem must also be addressed from its commercial aspect, saying that he has been informed some Tunisian vessels engaged in illegal fishing in Maltese waters, land in Italian ports to sell their catch.
“I ask the European Commission whether it can request a detailed report, as should be done under the rules in force, on the importation of Lampuki in Italian ports and in particular those made by Tunisian vessels which are authorised to land. I would also ask whether the European Commission together with the Italian authorities is in a position to identify and address suspected cases of fishing fraud where unauthorised vessels land in Italian ports and transfer their catch to vessels that are authorised.”
Finally, Agius considered the possibility that the vessels engaged in the illegal fishing in question are operating without the VSM even though it is mandatory under the provisions of the GFCM.
“I would like for the EU Commission to requests an account from the Tunisian authorities and the GFCM Secretariat on the implementation of these obligations and to ask whether it is possible for the EU Commission and the GFCM to do spot checks on the basis of photographs of Tunisian vessels regularly taken by Maltese fishermen.”