Anglers object to Kalkara marina

Anglers represented by the Kingfisher Sports Fishing Association are objecting to the proposed 334-boat at Kalkara Creek, fearing the loss of one of the few sheltered ports along the Grand Harbour for “catch and release” sports.

In this sport, fish are captured without even being removed from the water and then unhooked and released after a quick measurement and weighing of the fish, and photographed.

“We are not against the re-organisation of berthing spaces but we are disappointed by the lack of consultation,” the KSFA’s spokesperson Andre Borg told MaltaToday.

Borg said sheltered areas are ideal for ‘catch and release’ fishing but are becoming rarer, especially around the Grand Harbour, one of the best locations for this sport. “While in the past large stretches of the Harbour were available for anglers, space is increasingly being taken up by piers and other infrastructure”.

Borg said his organisation was not against economic growth but wants its voice heard when harbour infrastructure is planned. While concerned about the take-up of the port, the KSFA wants to establish points in the marina where anglers can practice their hobby. “From what we have seen the plans do not take us into consideration,” Borg said.

Kalkara is popular among elderly people from the locality who practice angling for recreation. The club has hosted club competitions and tournaments in the creek. Graffitti, which last year led a successful campaign against a marina in Marsaskala, is also objecting, saying the increased berths in this marina will “take over the entire creek”, create more pollution, and reduce public access the coast. “This is unacceptable. In a country where the population is alarmed at the rapidly diminishing public and open spaces, the last thing Malta needs is further hogging of its coast and sea.”

Graffitti also stressed that no public consultation was carried out, on residential concerns, and how strong winds and rough seas could make it unsafe for boats to enter the creek.

With increased congestion, residents and boat owners could find it more difficult to park in the town, Graffitti said. “Current plans are not realistic since they do take into account access to the moored boats. This will create a problem for boat owners to access their boats.”

2021 plans show 90 berths for boats under 6m in length, 80 for 6-8m boats, and 161 for 8-10m boats with a maximum width of 7m. Transport Malta claims the current bay’s haphazard mooring of boats “pays little tribute to the splendour of the fortifications”. Far from a simple reorganisations, TM’s project statement says it will ‘enhance’ the area with 334 mooring bays over 35,000 square metres along Triq Sally Port and Triq ix-Xatt. An existing marina with 173 berths already covers an area of 21,000sq.m in front of a boatyard below Villa Bighi.

The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage has however dropped its earlier objections about the intensity and formal layout of the mooring bays. Two years ago the SCH called for “a more organic layout to minimise the impact on views within this area of high scenic value.”

But in its latest submission, the SCH welcomed the latest designs for a “corridor along the shoreline” free of moorings and clutter, as well as a central corridor between the moorings. “This does not only permit a better and cleaner definition of the area, but it softens the aspects of massing in the proposed mooring bays,” the SCH said.

The plans are for two packets of bays, an inner arrangement on Marina Street near the Kalkara Inlet with 12 mooring lines for 170 berths; the second located further out for 162 berths along 18 lines.

Objectors to the project include boat owners who still cannot understand how they will be accessing their boats considering the increased number of boats in the bay. Some believe the only feasible option would be to introduce pontoons at a later stage, which would spell the end of the bay as people know it.

Transport Malta has not replied to questions sent be MaltaToday on the number of boats which are currently licensed to park in the Kalkara creek. MaltaToday also asked TM to explain how boat owners will be accessing their boats if the project is approved.

In October 2019, former Infrastructure Minister Ian Borg insisted that the application was limited to a reorganisation of existing berths, assuring Kalkara residents that the Kalkara marina “will not be growing by even one centimetre.”