VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Malta has secured a 17 per cent increase in its bluefin tuna fishing quota following negotiations in Brussels, the government announced.
The revised allocation raises Malta’s permitted catch from 434 tonnes to 507 tonnes and will apply for the next three years.
The agreement was reached during a meeting of the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Agrifish), where Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture Alicia Bugeja Said described the outcome as a “fair achievement for Maltese and Gozitan fishermen”.
Bugeja Said said the increase reflects Malta’s efforts to safeguard the sustainability of tuna stocks while supporting the livelihoods of local fishing communities.
She was accompanying Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights Anton Refalo, who also addressed the meeting.
Refalo told EU counterparts that European policies must take into account the specific realities of individual member states, particularly small island nations such as Malta.
He argued that the Common Agricultural Policy and related fisheries frameworks should be flexible enough to reflect national circumstances rather than impose uniform rules.
Bluefin tuna is among the most valuable species fished in the Mediterranean, but decades of overfishing led to strict international quotas under the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
In recent years, recovering stocks have allowed for cautious increases in quotas, provided countries demonstrate strong monitoring and enforcement.
The government said the higher quota will provide greater economic stability for the sector while remaining subject to sustainability controls.
Malta said it will continue to press for balanced EU policies that protect marine resources and support fishermen’s livelihoods.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
