French and Spanish aircrafts have arrived on the island to trap, fatten or slaughter tuna, despite the fact the tuna farm in Limassol has yet to renew its license.
The Greens party called on the Agriculture Minister to explain why the slaughter of tuna in Cyprus could be allowed when the tuna farm in question had not renewed its license.
The one-year pilot scheme to breed tuna began in Limassol last year. The environmental impact of the scheme is currently under review as well as the renewal of its license by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment.
The French and Spanish company working in cooperation with the tuna farm has brought helicopters and airplanes to the island to round up tuna and return them to the farm for slaughter.
If the farm succeeds in renewing its license, a number of the tuna will be put in cages for fattening and export to Japan.
Greens deputy George Perdikis previously warned that tuna penning posed serious environmental problems and called for closer examination of the environmental impact of fishing, trapping and breeding tuna in Cyprus.
“Tuna farms are a huge problem for the environment and sea life. Tuna move together in the thousands across the Mediterranean. First, they are observed by spotter helicopters or planes, then they send in ships to encircle them with kilometers of net and finally, they ‘bag’ them,†he explained.
Regarding tuna activities in Cyprus, he said: “Thousands are gathered in one part of the island in metal cages. All these fish are fed and fattened up. That means they excrete a lot, turning the sea bed into a desertâ€.
The Greens party said the House Environmental Committee was monitoring closely the present situation.
Head of the Fisheries Department, Gavriel Gavrielides, was quoted in Politis yesterday saying that the Franco-Spanish company did not need a fishing license to hunt for tuna in international waters, confirming that the company would not be fishing within Cyprus’ territorial waters.
Gavrielides said he spoke to the tuna farm in Limassol, saying that the farm planned to cage and fatten a number of tuna caught if they received their license, otherwise they would slaughter and export the lot.
Tuna penning has long been seen as a threat to declining tuna populations by organizations like Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) while efforts are constantly being made to regulate the practice.
The rapid increase in tuna penning due to a demanding Japanese market and lucrative profits has changed fishing strategies in the Mediterranean. According to the WWF website, nearly all fish caught by ‘purse seiners’ are now transferred to cages for fattening, rather than sold directly to markets.
Given that Cyprus is now a full member of the EU, the rules specify that no European can come and fish within 12 nautical miles of Cyprus’ waters. But any European fisherman can land his fish on our shores.
Source: Cyprus Press