Fishers says minister ‘disinterested’ and getting bad advice on policy

The secretary of fishing cooperative Koperattiva Tas-Sajd Malta (KSM) has called out the fisheries ministry for what he said was its lack of understanding on the industry.

Jason Grixti said his cooperative, which he insists represents the majority of small-scale fishers, is being “constantly ignored” and that Anton Refalo’s ministry reacts to problems in this complex industry only at the last minute.

The coop maintains that the fisheries ministry is inclined to give credence to a rival cooperative, the Għaqda Koperattiva Tas-Sajd (GħKS), which is run by Paul Piscopo. Both are disputing each other’s membership numbers.

The two coops are at loggerheads over tuna quotas first handed out in 2019, and up for renewal in 2021. Small-scale fishers who obtained their first ever tuna quota are balking at the prospect of having to re-apply for the licence, which was granted to 52 fishers with vessels smaller than 12m.

The KSM cooperative insists these special licence holders were never told their licences were valid for just two years. “Some of us have invested in our vessels and fishing equipment. With no guarantee of keeping this licence, we cannot risk ending up empty-handed.”

“You cannot start discussing tuna quotas two months before the season opens. Fishers start preparations almost a year before it opens, you cannot expect them to put everything on hold until they get the go-ahead from government,” Jason Grixti said.

Grixti said the sluggish pace of the ministry was felt even in addressing the problems faced by lampuki fishers harassed inside their traditional fishing grounds by Tunisian poachers when out at sea. “This has been going on for decades, with the problem slowly continuing to grow. But when the newspapers started reporting on the issue, that’s when we started seeing some action,” he said.

Grixti insists the KSM represents over 90% of fishers in the industry and that the government cannot keep ignoring his co-op. But GħKS’s Paul Piscopo disputes this claim, saying his co-op has around 200 members, compared to the KSM’s 400. “GħKS had been always attacked because we seek the well-being of the sector as a whole, not a section of it,” he said.

The recent tuna quota debacle recently forced the resignation of the KSM president Mario Carabott, after accusing fisheries minister Anton Refalo of showing a lack of concern in the industry. “In five meetings with the minister, he only spoke once to accuse us of illegalities which were in fact not true,” he said.

“We had been told the tuna licences would not be touched, and they went against their word. That’s unacceptable. There is no energy or sense of interest, and it all stems from bad advice,” Carabott said.

“We have been requesting a meeting to discuss Lampuki for three months, we are yet to receive a reply.”

Jason Grixti said the fisheries sector was complex to manage and that it can suffer from over-regulation. “We agree that there must be regulation, but we cannot get the short end of the stick every time,” he said.

KSM still wants to continue discussions with the ministry.

“Common sense must prevail, but we cannot discuss issues this late. January, February and March are the only months fishers have some time on their hands to go into talks; during the rest of the year they are too busy. Missing even one day at sea could be detrimental.”