Saviour Caruana, a co-owner of Fish and Fish, a bluefin tuna ranch with a capacity of 1 200 tons, told that for the current year the processor will probably process only 500 tons as the EU closed the fishing season earlier. He said that the decision of EU will forced some fishermen to go bankrupt. The European Union called for an early end to the industrial tuna fishing as it fears that quotas were being filled too quickly.
In midst of high fuel prices EU’s decision to close tuna fishing in Mediterranean inflamed tensions among the EU member states. Fishermen in France, Italy and other adjoining regions of Mediterranean staged protests against the decision. As Malta leads the fish processing sector in the Mediterranean with six businesses have been affected more drastically.
Maltese fishing inspector Jean-Pierre Sant expressed that everything has to be documented from the moment the fish is fished until it is sold to Japan. He told that the industry is meticulously monitored. He also said that the ranch’s only hope this year was that with less fish on the market the Japanese buyers will pay more.
