During this past month, a new and innovative trial project was underway within Malta’s bluefin tuna farms. The aim of this initiative is to utilise a new type of feed, which will help in reducing  waste and slime around the farms, while not denigrating the quality of the tuna product. Early results are indeed very promising, but the final results will only be confirmed upon an examination of the harvested fish at the end of the farming season later this year.

It was early this week where I paid a visit to one of these tuna farms in which this pilot project is underway. I followed the work being done closely by local and international research companies in collaboration with Department the Fisheries and Aquaculture.

At present, the main source of feed utilised at the tuna farms consists of smaller bait fish. While possessing numerous benefits, the main downside of this type of feed is the slime emanating from the feeding process, as well as its effect on the surrounding marine environment along withseveral logistical problems..

This new initiative utilises special manufactured feed that is made from sustainable and renewable ingredients, ensuring year-round availability, without compromising cost efficiency or output and reducing left-over waste from the whole process.

Previous trials in countries such as Mexico, Panama and Spain have led to significant developments in the field, and I augur that this pilot project in Malta will have similar results.

Thanks to this new feed, we hope that we will move away from simply preventing slime in our waters, to eradicating it completely. This feed is estimated to be at least three times more cost efficient than the baitfish currently in use, allowing more logistical and financial flexibility for private operators, and thus better economic efficiency as well as environmental quality. The quality of this manufactured feed will also help operators address the specific needs of tuna, in terms of the vitamin and nutrient intake as well as the fat content.

Other initiatives are also underway in this industry, where a tuna by-product factory will start operating during the last quarter of this year, and will convert by-products from tuna processing into fish meal and fish oil. The companies are also looking into more efficient ways to thaw their baitfish so it maintains a higher quality and releases less oils when it is fed to the tuna.

The Government is fully intent on ensuring cleaner seas for all us, and will continue working hand in hand with all stakeholders. It is for this reason that the Government, during these past few years, has focused on the monitoring of these fish farms, and ways to improve the surrounding marine environment. The Government will continue pursuing its aims for the development of sustainable aquaculture while preserving the marine ecology in our waters for the next generations.

All of the above initiatives are being undertaken, in the pursuit of a common goal, with more environmentally-friendly aquaculture projects in the pipeline. The last economical surveys have indicated how the total output of the aquaculture and tuna farming industry, notwithstanding the impacts of the Covid-19, grew by €2.4 million to a total of €178.7 million from the year before. Present indications within the industry project further growth in the next few years. Aside from the obvious economic impact, we cannot possibly underestimate how important this sector is to ensuring a sustainable provision of food.

We all remember a small number of incidents as reported in the local media, where part of the slime originating from these fish farms escaped and drifted towards our boats and shores. We duly note how the number of similar incidents during these past years have been drastically reduced, the fruit of the numerous investments that the Government, and the private sector, have done.

Moreover, throughout the years this sector has shown the crucial need for continuous scientific research and the strengthening of public-private partnerships, to the benefit of the economy and the surrounding environment in which we live. The government will strive to make these partnerships stronger, with future initiatives planned so that these developments can bear their fruit and leave the desired positive impacts on our community, and on the country as a whole.

Alicia Bugeja Said is the Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture

and Animal Welfare