For our first article of the year, apart from wishing the diving community all the best, we are also collating a few new year’s resolutions that we would love to see some action on…
Ċirkewwa Marine Park
This year we expect the long awaited legislative actions to officially declare the Ċirkewwa Marine Park as an official one to see the light of day, over a year from the announced draft management plans. Once that comes about, the road should be clear for management plans to ban fishing inside the main diving areas both from shore and from boats in the wreck areas. We are told some infrastructural works are also in the pipeline to see some additional facilities and long-term issues to be resolved, such as the dangerous derelict lantern.
Implementation of some of the 2022 diving strategy points
From lots of talk, we would love to see actions happening in real terms. So far our scoreboard shows mostly purples and reds, meaning zero to little actions. Our requests for information on updates have not been even answered by the Malta Tourism Authority, not even Freedom of Information (FOI) requests at time of writing (which we will continue to chase). Instead its CEO in November has told us (after chasing through multiple channels) that they will announce things when it’s convenient for them (maybe around Spring or MEP elections time?).
The Malta Tourism Authority (‘MTA’) clarifies that its role in the Strategy is to coordinate the implementation of the same between the various entities, whilst the implementation of the Strategy is to be carried out mostly by various other government authorities and entities, and in certain instances also representatives of the diving industry itself.
Although various entities are involved in the implementation of the Strategy and hence implementation of the Strategy is not instantaneous, there was significance progress in the implementation of the Strategy this past year, notwithstanding the restricted resources . The involved entities have already implemented various objectives and/or have already commenced necessary work to implement in the future other objectives found in the Strategy. The Strategy was never envisaged to be completed within one single year. Rather, the Strategy is meant to be implemented gradually.
Whilst MTA duly acknowledges your detailed request for information, to streamline communication and avoid any potential delays, we will be making official announcements or similar, together with the other stakeholders, from time to time, and will be providing updates on the progress of the Strategy in due course on official channels only to ensure accurate and comprehensive information is shared and made available to the public. Moving forward, we kindly request that you rely on these announcements for updates rather than reaching out individually as we believe that in this manner this will contribute to a more efficient and organised exchange of information.
The MTA has always invested in the Diving Sector and will keep on doing so, and we look forward to keeping the whole sector informed through our official channels and with our partners, on those initiatives that are directly related to the Sector.
MTA CEO’s response to divinginfo.mt
Unofficially, we are informed that some preliminary site visits were made by MTA & PDSA to assess improvements needed at shore diving sites, however the lack of any sort of communication on the matter with us leaves divers in the dark.
However, the main hopes and aims to keep pushing for in this coming year are:
- Official dedicated dive site management organisation
- Establishment of dive sites as specific sites under planning regulations
- Permanent moorings at popular boat dive site spots
- Reversal of allowance of trolling fishing allowance in conservation zones
- Ban on trammel net fishing at popular diving zones which do not have specific wrecks such as those in the North of Gozo, Comino and some sites in the West of Malta.
Gozo diving sites
For Gozo, our FOI request response from the Ministry for Gozo came back with a promise to keep ladders on at diving sites, and that consideration is being made for a new artificial reef. Permanent moorings are also being considered for Mgarr ix-XIni and Dwejra. In other matters, the finger is pointed to MTA and other authorities to deliver on actions in the 2022 diving strategy.
You may read their responses here:
In the meantime, we have been informed that ladders at some dive sites (Xatt l-Ahmar, Cathedral Cavern, Billinghurst) were falling off from lack of maintenance & bad weather. We communicated all reports that we received, but over December, nothing seems to have been done. We’ll keep chasing.
Conclusion
Our conclusion is lots of guarded hope for 2024, but divers’ pressure is needed both locally and from our visitors.
To aid in this, divinginfo.mt will be active in various means so that divers in Malta, both visitors and locals, are allowed to practice their sport safely and comfortable, with better regard to the marine environment that surrounds us. You can help as well – get in touch with your suggestions, reports, testimonials and comments for starters!
All the best!
