Maltese fisheries and conservation of large predators, including sharks and dolphins

Abstract

Upon accession to the EU, Malta’s 25 nm Exclusive Economic Zone became a Fisheries Conservation and Management Zone which demands scientific research and monitoring of the marine ecosystem, habitats and species present in this area. Research which would integrate the various scientific methods to assess the status of fisheries stocks and wildlife have been developed locally by the Conservation Biology Research Group, UoM, focusing on marine predators including groupers, bluefin tuna, sharks, dolphins and whales. Understanding the distributions and connectivity of these species' populations from local to regional to global, where applicable, determines the extent of their vulnerability to exploitation and human impacts.