Rape of the sea and land : where have the fish gone?

Abstract

Local divers, snorkellers, anglers and marine enthusiasts often lament about the lack of fish in our waters, with an almost complete lack of large fish in some bays and inlets. The indiscriminate laying of trammel nets at the mouth of bays could be one of the most likely reasons behind the lack of fish. Visit St Thomas Bay anytime after 7 p.m. and you will see hordes of luzzu boats at the entrance to the bay laying their trammel nets (pariti), which unsurprisingly derives from the Italian word for wall (parete), to form an insurmountable underwater wall hundreds of metres long. The law stipulates that the parit can be used everywhere except between February 15 and July 15 within a line drawn between two stone pillars placed on opposite sides of certain bays and creeks, in order to prevent the obviation of fish eggs which are laid in inlets at this time of year.