As per the record of NSO the volume and wholesale value of fish landings rose by 52.9 percent and 72.1 per cent respectively in the first three months of this year compared to the first quarter of 2007. It is said that in the first quarter of 2008, 136,246 kilograms (+52.9 per cent) of fresh fish, yielding €367,446, were landed. This rise in both volume and wholesale value resulted from increased landings of Swordfish and Shrimp, by 206.6 per cent and 67.2 percent respectively, in comparison to the same period 2007.
It is told that the major landing was swordfish which rose by 215.3 percent, from 16,707 kilograms in the first quarter of 2007 to 52,677 kilograms in the first quarter this year. Weight wise the landings was 77.3 percent, up by 1.4 percentage points over the corresponding period last year. Although the landings increased the prices remained the same and so the Maltese fishermen earned €739,009 (+77.4 percent) in the first quarter of 2008.
There was decrease in the landings by foreign-flagged vessels, down by 0.3 percent in fish and 26.0 percent in the wholesale value in comparison to the first quarter in 2007. The prices are fairly stable but as the landings rises the domestic fishermen benefited enough.
