The environmental and socio-cultural sustainability of tuna penning in the Maltese islands

Abstract

The rising demand for high quality Atlantic Bluefin tuna in the Japanese sushi-sashimi market has shifted the construct of the Mediterranean Bluefin fishery from its public artisanal attributes, to a privatized industrial activity. As one of the major producers of BFT, the Maltese physical and socio-cultural environments have been affected by some of the repercussions of this lucrative industry. Through qualitative analysis by interviews with experts in the field, this dissertation identifies and evaluates several environmental and socio-cultural issues emerging from this industry, whose economic prosperity is indisputable. Results have shown that tuna pens around the Maltese Islands do not have significant impact on Posidonia oceanica meadows, however, they affect benthic macrofaunal assemblages in sandy bottoms under the cages, which are in approximately 80m depth. A predominant controversial issue in user conflict at the coastal zone is the tedious sea slime that oozes out of frozen blocks of baitfish left to thaw in the cages. Issues threatening the Maltese social and cultural environment include increased competition within other fisheries, threat to the livelihood of local artisanal fishermen and persisting IUU catches, permitted by corruptibility of national observers. the study did not reach a stance on the industry’s effect on tourism. The study concludes on the fact that tuna penning in Malta is not currently a sufficiently sustainable industry, and although improvements have been made, some potential management measures that could help better regulate the tuna penning industry and mitigate its effects, are discussed in the conclusion. These proposed measures aim to alleviate pressure on wild stocks of Bluefin tuna and baitfish, and also aim to mitigate the aforementioned effects, with the vision of attaining simultaneous economic, environmental and social prosperity of this vital industry.