Malta along with France, Spain and Italy have committed over 50 vessels and 16 planes for the Joint Deployment Plan, which was launched on March 15 and will be running until the end of the year with the aim of ensuring that bluefin tuna is caught legally and in accordance with regulations. These countries are involved in a number of operations. It is said that the joijt Development Plan will cover a biger area over a longer span of time this year.
Minister George Pullicino told that the Joint Deployment Plan followed the Bluefin Tuna Recovery Plan which was agreed upon at the ICCAT meeting in 2006 and was later also adopted as regulation by the EU. According to him the main aim of the plan is to protect tuna, given that there was already fear for the sustainability of tuna fishing in the Mediterranean, without putting at risk neither the fish nor the fishing industry.
While the Minister for Resources and Rural Affairs explained that this was a critical year in ensuring the sustainability of tuna, as he added that the Government is committed to the Recovery Plan. As per the plan there should be a size of fish that can be caught and presses for a shorter fishing season. It also requires all fishing vessels to have a VMS system on board.
