New bag limits imposed on recreational lampuki fishing

The Fisheries Commission has announced new restrictions on recreational lampuki fishing, establishing a daily bag limit on the quantity and size of fish that can be caught.

According to a new EU regulation, recreational fishermen will only be allowed to catch a daily limit of 10kg or five lampuki (dolphinfish) of any size. Additionally, lampuki must be at least 35cm in length, with the catching, retaining, or storing of any smaller fish being strictly prohibited.

However, incidental catches are permitted, provided they do not exceed 5% of the total limit by weight.

The lampuki fishing season will commence on Santa Marija, August 15, and continue until the end of December. The new regulations do no affect commercial fishermen.

Amateur fishermen have been allowed to participate in the lampuki season since 2021, but only on the condition that their catch is for personal use and not for sale.

The new regulation is part of a multiannual management plan aimed at ensuring the sustainable fishing of lampuki in the Mediterranean Sea.

Gilbert Balzan, the Director of Fisheries, said this measure is among several recommendations made by the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM).

Initially, during negotiations, the EU recommended that recreational fishermen be allowed to catch one fish per person per day. However, Malta and Italy refused this recommendation. Subsequent discussions resulted in a daily bag limit for recreational fishermen being set at 10kg or five fish of any size per person per day.

Research indicates that Italian recreational fishermen typically catch around 20kg of lampuki per day, while in Malta, the average catch is between 5 to 6kg per day.

Applications for recreational fishing close on Monday, August 5, and there is no fee for registration. Authorisations will start being issued on August 1 and sent out via email.

Fishermen can use a rixa (handline) or qasba (fishing rod) from up to eight miles offshore on their authorised fishing aggregated devices (FADs). In contrast, commercial fishermen are allowed to catch their fish beyond the eight-mile limit.

To ensure compliance, recreational fishermen must declare their catches. The Fisheries Directorate has introduced a mobile app and online system for fishermen to register their catches.

Although there will be no further enforcement to ensure adherence to the new regulations, Balzan stressed the importance of registering catches for data collection, which can be utilized in future negotiations.

"By declaring your catch, we can then use this data to show the EU that the bag limit is fair and provides a level playing field for all fishermen," Balzan said. "Registering the catches also provides us data so that Malta can negotiate for the best fishing models and quotas."

The regulation will remain in place until 2026, after which a scientific board will analyze the data and the number of catches recorded by each country.

During a press conference, Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries Alicia Bugeja Said added that the new regulations will benefit approximately 600 registered recreational fishermen.