spearfishing will be prohibited in NW coast MPA

SPNOTTA · September 19, 2009, 21:47:26 CET

Been a long time, but I am currently diving books and papers instead of the sea.

I bring words of doom and gloom to all apneisits; spearfishing and other fishing methods deemed unsustainable by MEPA will be prohibited thoughout all the area between RDUM MAJJIESA TO RAS IR-RAHEB MARINE PROTECTED AREA.

link (pg: 39-40) http://www.mepa.org.mt/environment/Marine_Protected_Area/Majjiesa_Raheb-Framework.pdf

There are papers stating that spearfishing is very detrimental to demersal fauna found in shallow waters. Unfortunately, I must admit that it is true since the majority of spearos do not have a clue of what fishing sustainably means but we are learning and I know alot who changed their ways (including myself). Imma mal-hazin jehhel it-tajjeb

I quote:

"This area constitutes the minimum level of protection where, although
restrictions are limited, activities may still be regulated to achieve
sustainability. In the area marked as Zone P in Figure 3.1.
- Free access for bathing
- Free access for snorkelling
- Free access for scuba diving
- Fishing from authorised locations using sustainable fishing
methods (to be identified within the Management Plan)
- Boats allowed to access at a n authorised maximum speed.
- Mooring allowed at authorised locations.
- No underwater fishing in apnea or with scuba gear
- No purse-seine fishing
- No anchorage on sea-beds with Posidonia oceanica meadows
(to be indicated through published information)
- No flushing of boat waste systems"

MartinB · September 19, 2009, 23:32:39 CET

First of all imho it sucks that spearfishing has been included in this also,as even though im not an apnea spearfisherman its a discipline that ive always had a hell of alot of respect for,due to the ammount of dedication needed to practice it well.

I was previously aware of this as it has been discussed on the forum before in detail,but i dowloaded the link anyway and got to about the third page and saw the legend "Public Consultation Document" and didn't bother reading the rest.
Had they been honest & written "Public 'Consultation' Document of which the public's opinion may or may not be ignored depending on what works best for us" or decided to cut the BS and not bothered writing such flagrent lies in the first place,i may have actually read it..As i remember it when they intially decided on this marine conservation area plan,which i agree with on principle btw (had it been properly enforced!),it just sprung up out of nowhere!! NOW they want to consult the public???!!

SPNOTTA · September 20, 2009, 00:31:24 CET

You are right MartinB, how can the authorities expect support from the public?
Stakeholders such as recreational/ commercial fishermen, NGOs etc. were not invited in the making and now they expect full compliance!

I mean there could have been other possibilies such as bag limits, ban on certain species etc but not a total ban!!!!!

Do not get me wrong, I am in favour of MPAs but not how Malta and other med parties do it. Politician asks authorities to comply with international obligations and electoral manifests, authorities ask the usual "expert" academics to conduct their studies. The problem is that the "expert" acadmics fail to realize that fisherman are also "experts" in their own field and can contribute immensely to such a project.

I am not proud of being Maltese anymore.

MartinB · September 20, 2009, 02:22:00 CET

Quote from: SPNOTTA on September 20, 2009, 00:31:24 CET
You are right MartinB, how can the authorities expect support from the public?
Stakeholders such as recreational/ commercial fishermen, NGOs etc. were not invited in the making and now they expect full compliance!

Agree with this 100%

Quote from: SPNOTTA on September 20, 2009, 00:31:24 CET
I mean there could have been other possibilies such as bag limits, ban on certain species etc but not a total ban!!!!!

I also agree with this but i can't really see it being enforced fairly,or even efficiently in our country.Sorry but thats the way it is whether we admit it or not.

Quote from: SPNOTTA on September 20, 2009, 00:31:24 CET
Do not get me wrong, I am in favour of MPAs but not how Malta and other med parties do it. Politician asks authorities to comply with international obligations and electoral manifests, authorities ask the usual "expert" academics to conduct their studies. The problem is that the "expert" acadmics fail to realize that fisherman are also "experts" in their own field and can contribute immensely to such a project.

Thats what p***ed me off in the 1st place! How can they have the balls to call this a public consultation document when they didn't even consult ALL the concerned parties at the inception of a new policy in the intial planning (Note this word is supposedly part of their own acronym for christsakes!) stage,let alone the public!!!

SPNOTTA · September 20, 2009, 08:45:56 CET

Quote from: MartinB on September 20, 2009, 02:22:00 CET
I also agree with this but i can't really see it being enforced fairly,or even efficiently in our country.Sorry but thats the way it is whether we admit it or not.

It could be enforced fairly but Malta lacks political will, "fair" enforcement and support from the general public.

By the way, IUCN deems scuba diving practices almost as detrimental as spearfishing, yet bubble blowing is allowed in MPA "P" zones. Is that fair?

Spearos are the targeted scapegoats not industrial fishing, fishfarms and waste effluents.

Arti2 · September 20, 2009, 08:54:33 CET

I agree 100% with both of you. Taking example Italy. There are marine conservation areas but in some of these areas spearos can practice their hobby. What they do is they do not not shoot on certain species like groupers and not ban all fish!

busumark · September 20, 2009, 18:46:49 CET

spnotta they have been saying that it is going to be a reserve for about 3 years but nothing happened everything is the same as before

baghira · September 23, 2009, 08:38:15 CET

This is getting totally untollerable.
Instead enforcing the existing, we are promoting other unsustainable regulations. We cannot live in this shitty country anymore like this. I went through a hell of restrictions and limitations and expenses and and and and.............and after a shi.... week at work , I cannot go and practice my beloved hobby, towards which I have great respect.
All they care for is scuba diving (due to tourism), and fu.. the locals.
They also allow the king polluters, and destroyers (fishfarming and other illegal activities on large scale) going on, due to (same again money)

And I, who did not shoot a small fish in ages, get punished.

I truly beleive that this is demoralising for a person like me, and this will eventually lead to contravening, and going against all my principles.

cgp71 · September 23, 2009, 15:13:56 CET

A couple of weeks ago I went apnea training as usual at Cirkewwa. As usual, I kitted up and went down from where divers usually go down. As soon as I put my face underwater - I spot a scuba diver - no SMB, alone and with a goodybay full of seaurchins and octopus. Tank had a particular dive school sticker. His companion was on the surface, diving down to reach him in about 5m of water, use his octopus and return to the surface! Gennati ta' vera!!

1. Diving with no SMB
2. Diving with use of SCUBA alone
3. Fishing in a protected site (signs are fixed there)
4. Breathing from SCUBA at depth and ascending holding your breath
5. I would bet that the companion was not certified (judgeing by her movements in the water)

The following morning, I called the diving school to report all this and the reply was very simple "We are not responsible for the actions of people who hire from here".

I had been a scuba instructor for some time, an apnea diver since I can ever remember and sometimes a spearfisherman - but such actions just p155 me off!!

Seahunter · September 24, 2009, 16:04:47 CET

Quote from: cgp71 on September 23, 2009, 15:13:56 CET
4. Breathing from SCUBA at depth and ascending holding your breath

This is very dangerous, and at certain depths, it can kill. Some people try this after seeing some James Bond movie, without knowing that it can kill them

Seahunter · September 24, 2009, 16:17:52 CET

Quote from: baghira on September 23, 2009, 08:38:15 CET
This is getting totally untollerable.
Instead enforcing the existing, we are promoting other unsustainable regulations. We cannot live in this shitty country anymore like this. I went through a hell of restrictions and limitations and expenses and and and and.............and after a shi.... week at work , I cannot go and practice my beloved hobby, towards which I have great respect.
All they care for is scuba diving (due to tourism), and fu.. the locals.
They also allow the king polluters, and destroyers (fishfarming and other illegal activities on large scale) going on, due to (same again money)

And I, who did not shoot a small fish in ages, get punished.

I truly beleive that this is demoralising for a person like me, and this will eventually lead to contravening, and going against all my principles.

What you are saying is what I was going to write. The government is try to find the easy way out without harassing fisherman but trying to look as if it's doing something. So the solution will be a collective punishment so whom doesn't deserve it, while leaving the real culprits of the environment to keep abusing the sea. We've already seen this happening with hunting so I'm not really surprised with this eighter. Sometimes I began to think of going to live somewhere else, because I'm getting tired of all this two ways, two measures system.

MartinB · September 24, 2009, 20:25:46 CET

Quote from: Seahunter on September 24, 2009, 16:17:52 CET
Quote from: baghira on September 23, 2009, 08:38:15 CET
This is getting totally untollerable.
Instead enforcing the existing, we are promoting other unsustainable regulations. We cannot live in this shitty country anymore like this. I went through a hell of restrictions and limitations and expenses and and and and.............and after a shi.... week at work , I cannot go and practice my beloved hobby, towards which I have great respect.
All they care for is scuba diving (due to tourism), and fu.. the locals.
They also allow the king polluters, and destroyers (fishfarming and other illegal activities on large scale) going on, due to (same again money)

And I, who did not shoot a small fish in ages, get punished.

I truly beleive that this is demoralising for a person like me, and this will eventually lead to contravening, and going against all my principles.
Sometimes I began to think of going to live somewhere else, because I'm getting tired of all this two ways, two measures system.

I have often thought the same thing as this "system" is not just confined to fishing alone by any means...The only "problem" is despite all of these things,i really love this country..if i didnt i would have been long gone ages ago!!

baghira · September 24, 2009, 21:58:40 CET

cgp71
I cannot blame the scuba diving school. They are there to rent cylinders, and they cannot investigate such allegations themselves. There should be other's doing it, but the latter are usually at the cafetteria drinking hot chocolate.

Even though, I assume that the diver is regularly certified, and if the diving school is sure of what is happening with this particular idividual, they should stop renting him tanks.

On several occasions I have witnessed other similair facts happening at another scuba diving school, (I cannot mention the place since you can get to the person quite easy), and the owner of the premises was discussing with the individual how much the number of fish decreased, and urchins, and how many they used to catch before etc....... And then you go for a lesson, and the first thing the insructor tells you "Be carefull not to disturb the natural fauna and flora!!!!!!!!!!!!!'' and this could easily be the same individual. This goes against all principles and laws.

baghira · September 25, 2009, 09:10:30 CET

Wow I read all the article.....
So this should already be in place!!!! But how!!! and where is the mooring etc???
Spearfishing is being considered detrimental for the sea, and for sustainability????Joking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!What the hell?

Do they know what it involves?? And what about many other non sustainable methods for easy fishing being used.

?? Do they know that we have a limited depth that we can adequatelly reach and fish?? Or they think we have some 70 liter abdomen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Were any bodies consulted? So in the near future we will have 70% of all the coastal areas being protected. And we do not have much more left where we can fish, and then all the maltese spearfishers will gather there for a saturday fishing day out.....How nice. And the rest can pollute and destroy all the rest of the sea being non coastal!!!!!!!!!!
With respect to the law abiding fishermen in this community..

Seahunter · September 25, 2009, 11:13:58 CET

Quote from: MartinB on September 24, 2009, 20:25:46 CET
The only "problem" is despite all of these things,i really love this country..if i didnt i would have been long gone ages ago!!

Thats' my problem too, besides that of leaving the family behind. If it weren't so I think I have long left this place and thorn the passport to pieces so I won't come back!