Maltese Environmental Watchdog Pushes Bluefin Farms To Clean Up Slime

Maltese environmental authorities instructed tuna fattening farms to carry out cleaning-up operations on the coast after beachgoers complained about slime in the waters, which prevented them from swimming. Six vessels have been deployed by farm owners to remove the pollution spotted near the island.

The Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) said that over the past few weeks the sludge from the farms has been hitting the shore and measures need to be taken to remove it. A spokesperson for ERA said, “Whenever fish slime is detected, often before it reaches the shore, ERA promptly instructs operators to take all necessary measures to contain and collect it,” reported Maltese news sites. Maltese bluefin fattening farm owners have previously been accused of not taking enough measures to control this pollution. An executive from the Maltese Aquaculture Producers Federation explained that the slime is not from the farms, and said the test results will be released by the end of summer. The slime from bluefin farms is often caused by A combination of nutrient pollution and organic waste by bluefinfarms, and microbial/algal growth causes a gelled substance. Images and videos of beachgoers swimming near the slime has been going viral on social media, reported Maltese news sites.