Dear Member
a public consultation has been launched by the Malta Tourism Authority regarding a diving masterplan for the maltese islands.
This plan considers 21 sites around Malta and Gozo and are listed on www.mta.com.mt, including plans about each site.
Consultation is open for 4 weeks, starting Wednesday 25 January.
Please pass on your comments to divingmasterplan@mta.com.mt
I think that this is very important and I encourage everyone to write and give suggestions.
If possible pass on this message to other divers so as to give their suggestions
http://www.mta.com.mt/divingmasterplan
i already posted my coments i think every diver and every fisher needs to leave comments because if they will proctect these areas they will protect them from any type of fishing like they do with racks
This is something new to me.......
I just had a look and will be carefully reading in detail all it says..... then i will reply....
I beleive that some of what i saw is of real benefit for the diving community, something that is finally very much needed, but on the other hand, i have to safeguard my hobby, and not just see the commercial value of those who will just benefit....
Let me read first, and then comment.
If MTA gets greedy and unreasonable, we could all say that spearfishing in Malta will be in jeopardy. It useless setting rules meant to be broken because they are unbearable. The greatest fear I would have is that MTA often looks at the monetary side of things, and expect maltese citizens to adapt to its rules because there might be some fat bastard owner of some s*** who is paying good money on the diving industry and politically there will be benefits.
The question I raise is simple. We are very limited in coastlines as opposed to bigger countries due to an obvious geographical limitation. If finally something is done sensibly after accurate studies(not just the excellent studies they did on the locations-opportunistically not including the fauna present(for sure there is an internal report on fauna on diving locations), bag limits on fishing and location controls will be set. If they allow pure recreational people enjoy their hobby and build rules on sustainable fishing and mutual respect, I would agree.
Everyone is entitled to enjoy the sea. But that is utiopia in Malta. When we do something, we always go to extremes - see the tuna instance - I have been to Croatia, a highly regulated fishing ground. And they catch tuna at a license fee - But THEY can! and in Malta, of course not! Because there is fishfarming and this creates jobs (bdw ask some of the employees how their employers treat them - inhuman conditions). Tuna stocks are dimishing, that is their preach - but anyone with decent boating experience will agree with me that tuna stocks in Malta increased this past few years. I have been spearfishing since i was 16 years old and I am seeing tuna more than previous years. and not near fishfarms.
Any form of fishing in Malta both professionally and recreationally is still heavily unregulated - there are rules but enforcement is lacking badly. Hope for the best guys.
That is my humble opinion anyways. I can always be wrong
When I wrote a few months ago that this forum should seriously consider evolving into a recognised association, with membership in the Kunsill Malti Ghall Isport, hardly any interest was shown. We had information that these masterplans where in the making. I also posted this on the forum as one of the reasons why this forum should be officially recognised. Now, the process has started. I'm dying to say it and I will say it...
I TOLD YOU SO
those who have no guts to break laws tough luck!
with all due respect,the youngsters of today lack the balls of the good old days.whatever happens,they are always there to utter the sacred words "YES SIR"!
Quote from: The_Gaffer on February 02, 2012, 05:06:36 CET
When I wrote a few months ago that this forum should seriously consider evolving into a recognised association, with membership in the Kunsill Malti Ghall Isport, hardly any interest was shown. We had information that these masterplans where in the making. I also posted this on the forum as one of the reasons why this forum should be officially recognised. Now, the process has started. I'm dying to say it and I will say it...
I TOLD YOU SO
Gaffer, I do admire your work done to the forum and the recreational fishing industry. But let me indicate one thing.
It is true that support is needed for things to be well organised. I cannot assume for others but only assume for me.
I am a working citizen working in a profession where occassionally i have to work beyond the 40hrs a week. If I have a deadline, I have to meet it no ifs or buts.
From monday to friday its hethic, then I have to continue studying in the evening to further my knowledge. Between all this I have to find time where to fit my girlfriend. The remaining time well, I spend it fishing during the nights often during weekdays or weekends, weather permitting. And I have time to perform maintenance jobs on my boat and repairs because most of the time you pay money in malta on repairs and it is badly done.
It is a pretty tight schedule, and I am sure I would like to find more time for myself, but I cannot. Im pretty certain this is the situation for most of the people in Malta. Too many things to do in little time.
If the plans are still in, I am commited to sacrifice some of my time to this cause. The problem is pretty simple however, how can you reason with a government agency in which an election will soon be in place? The answer is money and that is the real problem....
Most probably the person who is carrying out this study has direct interest in the diving community earning good money out of it and is neither interested in the environment nor anything, just his profits. If there was a real interest in the environment, the fishfarming industry would be tackled. There are reports on how much harm it does to the ecosystem, but nothing is done about it.
That is the disadvantage of a capitalist world, it is all about money and politics (irrispective of which side - they are like a coin - a different face of the same material 'pezza wahda'!
yes as Granitu well said .... we have a shore fishing association and part of KMS and everything ..... do you think we were consulted on such issues? I discovered the issue here .... change in mentality is really needed now and that is the only way forward
we need more than a change in mentality!
Granitu and the rest - I empathise with what you're saying. Don't we all have jobs, families, private commitments to deal with. Don't let me go into explaining what my schedule looks like.
But the thing is, sometimes you have to take the initiative forward and deal with the situation. If you get to know of something, don't wait for it to happen, but chase the source and ensure you know what he plans are.
The Below was my letter to MTA:
May I present myself.
My name is Silvio Grixti, and I work as an enforcement officer with the Directorate for Environmental Health. My hobbies are all related to the sea ie: diving, spearfishing, freediving & boat fishing. May I point out that I have been diving and spearfishing for the last 20 years, and I always respected laws and our marvelous marine environment, and kept the two sports separate from each other.
I am also a member of the Malta Fishing Forum, which is the voice of many anglers/fisherman in Malta, and I am the administrator of area that regards Marine Protected Areas within the same forum. We try our best to keep people updated with any new regulations, and I a lso attend meetings held either by the fisheries or by Mepa. We also educate our recreational fishing community, as regards Marine protected areas, catch and release small species, and various other ways, and I can say that in majority of the cases we succed to keep good and healthy relation between our fisherman and the Marine ecosystem.
My I compliment myself for the detail in explaining the various Local Diving Sites, highlighting hazards, and including reccomendations for the benefit of each and every Dive site. Being a diver myself, I am many times disappointed by the state of degradation of the entry and exit points of our various dive sites, and the amout of rubbish that one can see both on land and under the sea. This is shameful when counting the numerous divers both local and foreigners that visit each divesite daily. A clear example is the state of the CCTV cameras that were once installed at Mellieha to deter burglars. I found amazingly positive the reccomendation to install more of these CCTV's, and that these can be accessed by the web so that one can also see the weather conditions of the various sites, beside other positive reccomendations.
On the other hand I am also a recreational spearfisherman, and I am getting worried about the consequences that we would face if the local dive sites become all protected, in a way or another. I beleive that it is better to discuss such situations beforehand, and find a balance between the two.
Spearfisherman also have to carry equipment and weights to enter the sea, and in many times they use the same entry points as divers, since that it is the only way to the sea. Thus if the area becomes protected and declared as no entry zone, it will automatically prohibit us to practice our sport. We are also influenced by weather conditions, and therefore we will need entry points that are sheltered from bad weather conditions, thus spread in various areas of the the island, the same as divesites. Somtimes it is impossible for us to reach an area that is not protected, because to get to the area we need to swim through the protected area to get to our destination and start our day. We are not stationary like an angler which keeps his position on the rocks, our sport pushes us out in search for our prey.
May I point out that spearfishing is amongst the most respective means of fishing, whereby one can choose his prey in advance, and thus does not need to catch and release. We just do not cacth smaller individuals/species.
Some queastions that I might arise are:
1. Are some of the studies driven by diving schools, who's only interest is make money from Toursim! Isn't this bad as well! Were the interviews c/o amongst local divers or just Tourists?
2. Laws have been there for ages now, but has anyone that broke the law ever been taken action against?
3. Who is in charge of enforcement police/army/fisheries?
4. Do they have the amount of personell/equipment and knowledge to carry out their duties and perform?
5. If all this is still not in place, then why do we need to make more laws, if even the existent are not enforced?
6. Are the various fishfarms scattered around our island helping in this??? I can answer this, since that I can compare the underwater life of some shore sites now, compared to 20 years ago when fish farming did not exist.
Why does everything has to fall in a state of degradation before we start to take action, or when we are enforced by foreign bodies to do so.
I am confident that many of the recreational fisherman, if given appropriate education, they will respect our precious environment, and we need to find a simbiosis between the two. Everyone has the right to live and practice a hobby.
I beleive that the situation would become much worse if we take the bad decisions now.
I agree that some dive sites need proper attention both on land and underwater, also for the lack of Marine biodiversity, but we must find a good,effcetive and respectful way.
Respect me and I will in turn respect you.
I am always available for any discussion.
Thanks.
Best Regards
Silvio Grixti.
Good job Silvio waiting for the reply from Mta
Thanks
Good job Baghira
nice Baghira ,I agree with you nice again
Excellent letter Silvio. Well done.
prosit silv nice letter and well said
Any reply yet?
I just got an acknowledgment.
Thanks silvio
Reply from MTA to my letter.
Mr. Silvio Grixti (Environmental health enforcement officer, diver and spear fisher)
9th February 2012
1 Litter is a major problem. The increase in CCTV cameras is commendable.
Reply - Noted.
2 Concern if all dive sites becoming protected zones since it would hinder spear fishing. A balance between diving and spear fishing has to be found. Entry points used by divers are generally the same for spear fishers.
Reply - The Master Plan does not advocate that all dive sites become protected areas (although a number of dive sites are located in areas that are protected for biodiversity reasons under MEPA's SAC/N2000 designations). As long as spear fishing is undertaken legally (i.e. without Scuba equipment - which is illegal) and it is properly regulated and controlled, there should be no problem to find a happy balance between diving and spear fishing. Spear fishing on artificial reefs, however is not acceptable since the reefs have been scuttled for a specific purpose (i.e. as diving attractions) so any form of fishing on these sites should be prohibited.
As regards the entry points, this is acknowledged, and the upgrading interventions suggested are for the benefit of all coastal users not just divers.
3 Were the studies driven by diving schools who have an economic interest and were the interviews conducted amongst local divers or just tourists?
Reply - The studies were not driven by the diving schools. The MTA commissioned an independent local consultancy firm to develop the Master Plan. All studies were run by this company and interviews held with a variety of stakeholders. The online questionnaire was available for all divers - responses received included dive schools, individual local divers, dive clubs and tourists.
4 Has any action been taken upon those who break the law?
Reply - The law is re gulated by entities responsible for the upkeep of law and good order. Individuals are thus encouraged to report such breaches to the police.
5 Who is in charge of enforcement? Do they have the resources to carry out their duties?
Reply - Enforcement is the responsibility of different entities, depending on the issue at hand. Enforcement needs to follow hand in hand with voluntary measures such as codes of practice. Enforcement remains an issue, however, and it is hoped that through the implementation of the Master Plan and the formulation and implementation of zoning plans and management plans for specific sites, better enforcement will also materialize, especially through the presence of onsite managers for specific sites.
6 If the current laws are not being enforced, why make new ones?
Reply - The Master Plan is not advocating the introduction of new laws but the updating of the Notice to Mariners and the DNO
7 What is the impact of fish farming?
Reply - It is not clear what the question is referring to. Assuming that it refers to the impact of fish farming ion diving, this would depend on the distance of fish farms from dive sites, the type of the farm (i.e. Finfish or tuna penning), the operations undertaken on the farm (e.g. type of feed, size of fish, size of cages, etc).
8 Recreational fishermen should be given appropriate education.
Reply - Comment noted. However we do believe that as with many other issues, sometimes it is an individual rather than a collective problem. This applies to everyone and not just one category such as recreational fisherman who many times do support the industry and help a lot.
9 The situation will become much worse if we take bad decisions now.
Reply - Agreed.
10 Some dive sites need proper attention both on land and underwater even due to the lack of Marine biodiversity, but a good, effective and respectful way must be found.
Reply - Comment noted.
Thanks and Regards,
Stephanie
X nghamlu minghajrek Baghira... Prosit ta l iniziattiva habib.
Hi All,
Two years back the Federation of Amateur Fishermen was contacted by ADI Consultants re the Diving Plan.
The plan included vast areas along the coast line and even off shore.
We gave our views and concern quite in line with Mr Silvio Grixti arguments. We also asked where areas are off shore, is any kind of fishing, such as trolling (rixa) prohibited? How are these areas marked and managed?
Along the shore is fishing prohibited all the year round ,day and night. What about squid gigging?
We suggested seasons and even different hours during the day.
At the time no definite regulations were at hand. Our suggestions were recorded but since then we were never again consulted.
When again faced recently with this issue The Federation decided to involve the Fisheries Department, after all even Professional Fishermen can suffer from this Master Plan.
I requested that this issue be brought up in the agenda of the Fisheries Board and unless something goes wrong this Diving Master Plan will be discussed with Authorities involved next week.
For sure next week on the 17th morning will be another hard day for me. Fingers crossed. I have to face odds.
In the evening I called the Federation committee meeting to report on the outcome of the Board meeting.
Similarly I will post here any relevant issues.
Gogo.
Thanks Gogo..
That's a good stand up...
Thanks Gogo
Today I attended the Fisheries Board and once again was disappointed. The only issue on the agenda was situation of GT measurements of vessels between 14 and 24 metres presented by two TM Officials.
It all summed up to a head to head discussion between cooperative representatives and TM officials. As usual further discussions in the future.
Nothing about the Master Diving Plan, Boat registration as MFC..... and other issues that are still pending.
Gogo
No wonder.......