Fish farm slime blights Malta’s southern shores, environment watchdog confirms

Fish farms are to blame for the presence of slime in the southern area of the Maltese islands over the weekend, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) confirmed.

In a statement issued on Monday, ERA said that reports of slime prompted it to launch an investigation into its origins and initiate a clean-up operation to address the situation.

When officials arrived on site to confirm the presence of slime, the authority requested the three South fish farm operators to proceed with cleaning up the slime from the coast.

According to ERA, the fish farm operators immediately cooperated and started a cleanup in the areas of St Peter’s Pool, il-Bajja ta’ San Tumas and Marsaskala swimming zones.

The authority coordinated this activity with Transport Malta and the Police to ensure safety.

In its statement, ERA added that reports of slime off the coast of Pembroke and St Julians are also being addressed.

This is not the first time that the Marsaskala waters were awash with slime. In 2018, waterpolo activities had to be cancelled below Żonqor Point as an oily sludge polluted the coastline.

Jose Herrera, who was environment minister at the time of the incident, confirmed that the sea slime originated from fish farms.