Malta: Increase in Dogfish landings in 2nd quarter this year

News Release

National Statistics Office – Malta

6 August 2012

During the second quarter this year, the volume and wholesale value of fish landings increased by 5.1 and 22.7 per cent respectively.

Fish Landings: Q2/2012

Fish landings in the second quarter this year amounted to 423,777 kilograms, an increase of 5.1 per cent over the comparative period last year. Blue Fin Tuna, the main species caught in the period under review, advanced by 51.0 per cent, while Mackerel and Swordfish dropped by 26.3 per cent and 42.6 per cent respectively. The wholesale value of fish landings went up by 22.7 per cent to €2.65 million.

Regional overview

In the period under review, fish landings by Maltese fishermen amounted to 259,982 kilograms, a decrease of 1.1 per cent over the second quarter of 2011. This comprised 61.3 per cent of total fish landings. An increase in the landings of Stone-bass (+120 per cent ), Dog-fish (+86.3 per cent) and Blue Fin Tuna (+55.1 per cent) were offset by drops of 79.5 and 50.9 per cent in Bogue and Swordfish landings respectively. The wholesale value of fresh fish landings by Maltese fishermen stood at €2.28 million, resulting in an increase of 17.5 per cent over the corresponding quarter last year. This was mainly due to a rise in the average price per kilogram of Blue Fin Tuna, from €7.8 per kilogram in the second quarter of 2011 to €10.9 per kilogram this year.

Fresh fish landings by Gozitan fishermen rose by 16.7 per cent over the comparative period last year, accounting for 38.7 per cent of total landings. Significant increases were registered in Bogue (+457.9 per cent), Swordfish (+302.6 per cent) and Dog-Fish (+148.5 per cent). Mackerel, the main species caught for Gozitan fishermen, dipped by 27.6 per cent. The wholesale value of fresh fish landings amounted to €0.36 million, an increase of 70.9 per cent over the second quarter of 2011, mainly due to the increase in Swordfish landings.

Indices

The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fish price index for the second quarter stood at 132.86 points, up 13.66 points (+11.5 per cent) over the comparative period in 2011. The ‘All Items’ fresh fish volume index stood at 126.80 points, up by 6.16 points, or 5.1 per cent, over the corresponding quarter last year.

Source: National Statistics Office – Malta

Note by Shark Year Magazine:

According to the Sharklab-Malta, the following elasmobranch species are categorised as ‘ dogfish ‘ ( ‘Mazzola’ in Maltese language ) on the fish markets in Malta :

Piked Dogfish                            –  Squalus acanthias –

Longnose Spurdog                  –  Squalus blainvillei –

Velvet Belly Shark                      –  Etmopterus spinax –

Starry Smoothhound                –  Mustelus asterias –

Smoothhound                           –  Mustelus mustelus –

Blackspotted Smoothhound  –  Mustelus punctulatus –

Tope/School Shark                  –  Galeorhinus galeus