Declare fewer fish, get lower quotas: parliamentary secretary's warning to fishermen

A new fisheries landing base was inaugurated in Marsa this morning by Parliamentary Secretary Roderick Galdes. The €275,000 project, which was partially funded by the EU, will facilitate the unloading of fish and expedite the process of catch declaration with the fisheries department thanks to new weighing scales and IT system. The base also includes a small cold room to store any undeclared catches or species. Mr Galdes said this project was the latest in a series of investments aimed to support the sector, including new facilities in Marsaxlokk, St Paul's Bay, Xemxija and Mgarr, Gozo. He urged fishermen not to under-declare their catch, saying this could backfire if new quotas on certain species were introduced. Low declarations, he warned might result in low thresholds, he warned.