[WATCH] Fishy slime pollutes Marsaskala bay

Marsaskala bay was hit by slime believed to have come from fish farm operations

Waterpolo activities had to be cancelled below Żonqor Point in Marsaskala as an oily sludge polluted the coastline of the seaside locality on Tuesday.

The slime was visible along large stretches of the coastline inside Marsaskala bay with reports suggesting that it also washed inside St Thomas Bay.

Marsaskala councillor John Baptist Camilleri sent MaltaToday photos of the slime along the Żonqor coastline, which is a popular bathing area for locals.

“The slime forced the waterpolo club to cancel its activities in the sea,” Camilleri said, adding the council received numerous complaints from residents.

Residents in the locality blame the oily sludge on fish farm operations off the Marsaskala coast.

The council has written to the Environment Ministry to take the necessary action, Camilleri said.

READ ALSO: Environment Minister confirms sea slime is from fish farms, inspections underway

Reports of slime appearing on the Sliema coastline on Tuesday also reached this newsroom.

The incidents have sparked fears of a return to the emergency situation in 2016 when large stretches of Malta’s eastern coastline were polluted by slime that was traced back to the feed used in tuna farm operations.

Labour MP Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi posted this photo of a fish market in Japan where Maltese tuna is auctioned

Caged tuna kept in fish farms along Malta's eastern coast is currently being fattened as part of the process that will eventually lead to culling and export to the lucrative Japanese market.

Ironically, on the same day that reports in Malta emerged of a return of slime along the coastline, Labour MP Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi posted a photo of himself with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and Foreign Minister Carmelo Abela posing at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo, Japan, where tuna from Malta was being auctioned. The Prime Minister is on a visit to Japan.

The irony did not go amiss with social media users, who noted how the lucrative tuna business was also polluting Malta's coastline.