As of today, Friday 7th July, a two-year moratorium on sea urchin collection will come into effect
The Government has launched two joint initiatives in an effort to replenish the sea urchin’s population.
Sea urchins play a crucial role in the marine ecosystem by ensuring the survival of 18 different fish species. The absence of sea urchins at sea increases the risk of invasive alien species that negatively impact ecosystems. The sea urchin population in Maltese waters has significantly declined, placing them at risk of extinction.
In the first initiative, the Department of Aquaculture is implementing a restocking programme, where sea urchins will be cultivated and released into the seas to increase their population.
In the second initiative, a Legal Notice comes into effect today, imposing a two-year moratorium on the collection of sea urchins. This means collecting sea urchins will be illegal, and penalties will apply.
The law does not prohibit the importation of sea urchins. Restaurants and fish importers will be required to keep the necessary documentation to verify the origin of the catch in case of inspections.
Minister for the Environment, Energy, and Enterprise, Miriam Dalli and Parliamentary Secretary for Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Animal Rights Alicia Bugeja Said visited the site where sea urchins are cultivated at Fort Sant Lucian.
The cultivation plan complements Malta’s Multiannual National Plan for Sustainable Aquaculture (2022-2030), emphasising the importance of diversification in aquaculture.
The implementation strategy involves several essential steps. Sea urchins held in captivity in labs will undergo a process to ensure optimal reproductive health. Throughout the project, their growth will be monitored, and detailed studies will be conducted on their nutrition and DNA analysis.
Minister Miriam Dalli explained that the Environmental and Resources Authority commissioned a study on Maltese waters, which determined that the amount of sea urchins in Maltese waters is at risk of extinction.
“This conservation measure is being adopted to ensure that the population of sea urchins in our local waters does not continue to decline. By the end of this moratorium, there should be a sustainable amount of sea urchins in our waters,”said Minister Dalli.
Parliamentary Secretary Alicia Bugeja Said explained, “with this process, sea urchins are collected from Maltese waters for restocking and then released again in our waters to ensure sustainability and food security. The labs at Fort Saint Lucian have been equipped with the appropriate temperature and lighting to prevent stress levels from rising.”
The Parliamentary Secretary continued explaining that two years ago, the Aquaculture Department noticed a decline in sea urchins in Maltese waters and proactively took the initiative to address this issue. “Through this initiative, we are not only addressing the decline in numbers but also conducting further scientific research on sea urchins to gather more information about this species,” concluded Parliamentary SecretaryBugeja Said.
Proġett tal-akwakultura biex tiżdied il-popolazzjoni tar-rizzi fl-ibħra Maltin
Mil-lum, il-Ġimgħa 7 ta’ Lulju, jidħol fis-seħħ moratorju għal sentejn fuq il-ġbir tar-rizzi
Bil-għan li terġa’ tibda titkattar il-popolazzjoni tar-rizzi fil-Gżejjer Maltin, il-gvern vara żewġ inizjattivi konġunti.
Ir-rizza hija ħlejqa tal-baħar bi rwol importanti fl-ekosistema marittima għax tassigura l-għajxien ta’ 18-il speċi ta’ ħut differenti. Fil-fatt, mingħajr rizzi fl-ibħra, jiżdied ir-riskju li jissaħħu speċi aljeni invażivi b’impatt negattiv fuq l-ekosistemi. Iżda tul is-snin, il-popolazzjoni tar-rizzi naqset drastikament tant li qiegħda f’riskju li tiġi estinta mill-ibħra Maltin.
Fl-ewwel inizjattiva, id-Dipartiment tal-Akwakultura għaddej bi proġett ta’ restocking tar-rizzi, fejn qed jiġu ikkultivati u mrobbija r-rizzi sabiex terġa’ tiżdied il-popolazzjoni tagħhom fl-ibħra Maltin.
Fit-tieni inizjattiva, mil-lum jidħol fis-seħħ l-Avviż Legali li jagħti bidu għal moratorium fuq il-ġbir tar-rizzi għal sentejn. Dan ifisser li għal dawn is-sentejn se jkun illegali li wieħed jaqbad ir-rizzi, biex il-popolazzjoni tar-rizzi f’pajjiżna terġa’ tirkupra.
Il-liġi ma tipprojbixxix l-importazzjoni ta’ prodotti ta’ rizzi tal-baħar. Ir-ristoranti u min jimporta r-rizzi jkunu meħtieġa jżommu d-dokumentazzjoni rilevanti biex jippruvaw l-oriġini f’każijiet ta’ spezzjonijiet.
Il-Ministru għall-Ambjent, l-Enerġija u l-Intrapriża, Miriam Dalli, flimkien mas-Segretarju Parlamentari għas-Sajd, l-Akwakultura u d-Drittijiet tal-Annimali, Alicia Bugeja Said, żaret is-sit fejn għaddejja l-kultivazzjoni tar-rizzi fit-Torri ta’ San Luċjan.
Il-pjan ta’ kultivazzjoni jikkumplimenta l-Pjan Nazzjonali Multiannwali ta’ Malta (2022-2030) għall-Iżvilupp Sostenibbli tal-Akwakultura, li jenfasizza l-importanza tad-diversifikazzjoni fl-akwakultura.
L-istrateġija ta’ implimentazzjoni tinvolvi diversi passi importanti. Ir-rizzi li qegħdin fil-laboratorju se jgħaddu minn proċess sabiex ikun żgurat li jinsabu fl-aħjar saħħa riproduttiva tagħhom. Matul il-proġett kollu, it-tkabbir tagħhom se jkun immonitorjat, u se jiġu studjati fid-dettall in-nutrizzjoni tagħhom kif ukoll it-teħid tad-DNA.
Il-Ministru Miriam Dalli spjegat li l-Awtorità għall-Ambjent u r-Riżorsi kkummissjonat studju fl-ibħra Maltin, fejn ġie determinat li l-ammont ta’ rizzi fl-ibħra Maltin huma f’riskju li jispiċċaw.
“Din il-miżura ta’ konservazzjoni qed issir biex tiggarantixxi li ma jinqerdux għal kollox ir-rizzi f’pajjiżna u biex kif jiġi fi tmiemu dan il-moratorium, ikollna ammont sostenibbli ta’ rizzi fl-ibħra tagħna,” qalet il-Ministru Dalli.
Is-Segretarju Parlamentari Alicia Bugeja Said spjegat li, “B’dan il-proċess qed jinġabru rizzi mill-ibħra Maltin għal restocking u wara se jerġgħu jitpoġġew lura fl-ibħra tagħna sabiex niżguraw is-sostenibbiltà u s-sigurtà tal-ikel. Il-laboratorju fit-Torri ta’ San Luċjan ġie attrezzat sabiex ir-rizzi jkollhom it-temperatura u d-dawl apposta sabiex ma jiżdidilhomx il-livell ta’ stress.”
Hija kompliet tispjega li sentejn ilu, id-Dipartiment tal-Akwakultura ra li n-numru ta’ rizzi fl-ibħra Maltin kienu qed jonqsu u b’mod proattiv ħa l-inizjattiva sabiex dan jiġi indirizzat. “B’din l-inizjattiva qed naraw li mhux biss nindirizzaw in-numru ta’ rizzi u l-fatt li dawn qed jonqsu, iżda se tkun qed issir riċerka xjentifika oħra fuq ir-rizzi nfushom sabiex niġbru kemm nistgħu informazzjoni fuq din l-ispeċi,” temmet tgħid is-Segretarju Parlamentari Bugeja Said.