72
M. Holmer et al.
potential adverse impact of tuna penning on wild stocks of Thunnus thynnus is
unavailable and this has placed the activity at the centre of much controversy and
debate, and harsh criticism has been levelled at it by national and international
environmental NGOs (e.g., the World Wide Fund for Nature; see WWF 2004).
The advent of tuna farming in Malta in 2000 raised concerns at the Malta
Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA – the local agency concerned with
environmental protection in Malta) and the public, mostly because of the potential
adverse impacts resulting from the large scale of operations of the projected tuna
farms. As a result, MEPA stipulated that tuna cages must be sited at least 1 km offshore, in waters having sufficiently strong water currents, and distant from benthic
habitats that have a high ecological value (e.g., seagrass meadows and maerl beds).
Furthermore, prior to granting tuna farm operators a development permit, MEPA
requested that appropriate surveys be carried out in offshore areas having the
required characteristics in order to determine the specific location of the cages. The
result was that all four tuna farms that started operations in the early 2000s were
sited in waters having a depth of around 50 m, and had their cages located over a
“bare sand” habitat. When initiated locally in 2000, tuna farming had an annual
production of 300 tons that increased steadily to around 3000 tons in 2005, making
the country one of the largest current producers of farmed tuna in Europe. The three
farms that are currently operating are located off the northeastern coast of the island
of Malta (Fig. 2.2) at a distance of around 1 km from the shore, on a seabed consisting mainly of bare soft sediment (muddy sand), and in waters characterised by
strong currents and having a depth of between 46 m and 55 m. Tuna penning activities usually start around July and extend to December/February, after which there
is a 4–6 month fallowing period.
Recently, the Fisheries Conservation and Control Division of the Ministry for
Rural Affairs and the Environment (responsible also for local aquaculture) lodged
an application with MEPA to designate an “Aquaculture Zone” located about 6 km
off the eastern coast of the island of Malta (Fig. 2.2). The zone covers an area of
some 9 km
2 and is located in waters having depths of between 65 m and 105 m. The
aim is to locate future tuna penning installations in one offshore area that is distant
from land in order to minimise impacts on the coast and the shallow waters off it.
Following approval by MEPA, tuna penning operations within this zone started in
July 2006 in a sea area of 3 km × 1.5 km.
2.3.2 Environmental Monitoring of Sea Bass
and Sea Bream Farms
At around the same time that local aquaculture activities reached industrial production levels, the central government set up a Planning Authority as the main regulatory
body for development, and this institution later merged with the then Environment
Protection Department and changed its name to the Malta Environment and Planning
Authority (MEPA) to become the local planning, development control and environmental
M. Holmer et al.
potential adverse impact of tuna penning on wild stocks of Thunnus thynnus is
unavailable and this has placed the activity at the centre of much controversy and
debate, and harsh criticism has been levelled at it by national and international
environmental NGOs (e.g., the World Wide Fund for Nature; see WWF 2004).
The advent of tuna farming in Malta in 2000 raised concerns at the Malta
Environment and Planning Authority (MEPA – the local agency concerned with
environmental protection in Malta) and the public, mostly because of the potential
adverse impacts resulting from the large scale of operations of the projected tuna
farms. As a result, MEPA stipulated that tuna cages must be sited at least 1 km offshore, in waters having sufficiently strong water currents, and distant from benthic
habitats that have a high ecological value (e.g., seagrass meadows and maerl beds).
Furthermore, prior to granting tuna farm operators a development permit, MEPA
requested that appropriate surveys be carried out in offshore areas having the
required characteristics in order to determine the specific location of the cages. The
result was that all four tuna farms that started operations in the early 2000s were
sited in waters having a depth of around 50 m, and had their cages located over a
“bare sand” habitat. When initiated locally in 2000, tuna farming had an annual
production of 300 tons that increased steadily to around 3000 tons in 2005, making
the country one of the largest current producers of farmed tuna in Europe. The three
farms that are currently operating are located off the northeastern coast of the island
of Malta (Fig. 2.2) at a distance of around 1 km from the shore, on a seabed consisting mainly of bare soft sediment (muddy sand), and in waters characterised by
strong currents and having a depth of between 46 m and 55 m. Tuna penning activities usually start around July and extend to December/February, after which there
is a 4–6 month fallowing period.
Recently, the Fisheries Conservation and Control Division of the Ministry for
Rural Affairs and the Environment (responsible also for local aquaculture) lodged
an application with MEPA to designate an “Aquaculture Zone” located about 6 km
off the eastern coast of the island of Malta (Fig. 2.2). The zone covers an area of
some 9 km
2 and is located in waters having depths of between 65 m and 105 m. The
aim is to locate future tuna penning installations in one offshore area that is distant
from land in order to minimise impacts on the coast and the shallow waters off it.
Following approval by MEPA, tuna penning operations within this zone started in
July 2006 in a sea area of 3 km × 1.5 km.
2.3.2 Environmental Monitoring of Sea Bass
and Sea Bream Farms
At around the same time that local aquaculture activities reached industrial production levels, the central government set up a Planning Authority as the main regulatory
body for development, and this institution later merged with the then Environment
Protection Department and changed its name to the Malta Environment and Planning
Authority (MEPA) to become the local planning, development control and environmental