The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture is again offering an opportunity for amateur fishermen to fish for lampuki.

This was announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, together with the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture and Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said.

They announced that this will be done through the allocation of many shoots and ridges around the Maltese and Gozitan waters.

The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has reached an agreement with the fishermen's unions so that each of them will have allocated and reserved places.

The amateur fishermen are encouraged to apply to the associations in order to fish with in a traditional way. Amateur fishermen with boats registered as MFC, S and Valletta are all eligible to apply for lampuki fishing.

Minister Anton Refalo noted that this project last year was a successful one and therefore the government saw that it continues to spread in this sector not only for commercialising fishermen but also for those who are enthusiasts.

"As a ministry, apart from continuing to be of help to those who earn their daily bread from this sector, we are ensuring that in the lampuki season, from August 15 to the end of December, those who are amateur fishermen can also enjoy lampuki fishing,” Refalo said.

Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said explained that "last year, the government launched a pilot project, where the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture had reached an agreement with the Fishermen's Unions to open the season for amateur fishermen who wish to fish in a traditional way. This ensures that amateur fishermen have an opportunity to benefit from this very popular season, without disruption."

Bugeja Said thanked all the workers within the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture as well as the amateur associations, who have already started doing a lot of work in preparation, and if it wasn't for them, such initiatives would not be possible.

This year, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture thought to combine technology with tradition through a mobile app that will be launched in the coming days.

This app will give a boost on two aspects: on the one hand, digitalisation will considerably reduce bureaucracy, and help to adapt to technology that reduces waste and the use of paper. On the other hand, the information collected from this app through a logbook system, will help the Department keep a more up-to-date and efficient account of the quality and quantity of fish collected. In this way research and knowledge on the health and sustainability of Malta’s maritime ecosystem continues to grow.

Applications are open until Wednesday 10 August 2022. All interested fishermen are encouraged to apply.

For more information, fishermen are encouraged to call the Department on 22926888.