A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini,a subgrouping of the Scombridae (mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 17 species across five genera,the sizes of which vary greatly,ranging from the bullet tuna up to the Atlantic bluefin tuna,which averages 2 m (6.6 ft) and is believed to live up to 50 years.
Swieqi is a town in the Northern Region of Malta. It is a residential area just 15 minutes by bus from Sliema and within walking distance of Malta's nightlife and entertainment centres,Paceville and St. Julian's. As the town developed,residential estates took over farmland. The town's name means "water channels",a reminder of the region's past.
The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which member states are allowed to catch each type of fish,as well as encouraging the fishing industry by various market interventions. In 2004 it had a budget of €931 million,approximately 0.75% of the EU budget.
Lawrence Gonzi is a Maltese politician,retired Nationalist politician and lawyer,who served for twenty-five years in various critical roles in Maltese politics. Gonzi was Prime Minister of Malta from 2004 to 2013,and leader of the Nationalist Party. He also served as speaker of the House from 1988 to 1996,and Minister of Social Policy from 1998 to 2004,as well as deputy prime minister from 1999 to 2004. He served in practically all positions in Parliament,being also Leader of the House,an MP and Leader of the Opposition.
Maria Damanaki is a Greek politician. She is a former president of the Synaspismos party of the left and former state member of the Hellenic Parliament within the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). She served as the Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy. In this capacity leads a global team focused on how the world manages its oceans,including sustainable fisheries management,large-scale protection and restoration of coral reefs and other ecosystems,coastal resilience,and mapping and quantification of the full value of the world's oceans to people.
Andris Piebalgs is a Latvian politician and diplomat who served as European Commissioner for Development at the European Commission from 2010 until 2014. Between 2004 and 2009 he served as Commissioner for Energy. Between 4 June 2016 and 19 August 2017,he served as the leader of the Unity party.
Janez Potočnik is a Slovenian politician who served as European Commissioner for Environment from 2009 until 2014. He was formerly Slovenia's Minister for European Affairs. In November 2014,he became co-chair of the International Resource Panel (IRP),a forum of scientists and experts working on natural resources management.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a tuna regional fishery management organisation,responsible for the management and conservation of tuna and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas. The organization was established in 1966,at a conference in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil,and operates in English,French and Spanish. The organisation has been strongly criticised by scientists for its repeated failure to conserve the sustainability of the tuna fishery by consistently supporting over-fishing –an internal review branded ICCAT's policies on the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery a "travesty of fisheries management",and an "international disgrace". Conservationists often refer to ICCAT as "The International Conspiracy to Catch All Tuna".
A regional fishery body (RFB) is a type of international organization that is part of an international fishery agreement or arrangement to cooperate on the sustainable use and conservation of marine living resources and/or the development of marine capture fisheries whose such capacity has been recognized by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization under the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement.
Illegal,unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) is an issue around the world. Fishing industry observers believe IUU occurs in most fisheries,and accounts for up to 30% of total catches in some important fisheries.
Tonio Borg is a conservative Maltese politician who served as the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy replacing John Dalli as member of the College of the European Commission in the second Barroso Commission.
The Commissioner for Environment,Oceans and Fisheries is a member of the European Commission. The current Commissioner is Virginijus Sinkevičius,who also serves as EU Commissioner for the Environment.
India-Malta relations are the bilateral relations between India and Malta. Malta opened its High Commission in New Delhi in 2007 and has consulates in Chennai,Mumbai and Kolkata.
George William Vella is a Maltese politician who served as the 10th president of Malta from 2019 to 2024. A member of the Labour Party,he previously served as deputy prime minister of Malta and foreign affairs minister from 1996 to 1998 under prime minister Alfred Sant. In 2013,he returned as foreign affairs minister,an office he held until 2017 under prime minister Joseph Muscat.
Dr. Moritaka Hayashi is an international lawyer,scholar and author,who is widely considered a leading expert on the impact of human activity on the world's oceans. Over a period of nearly 40 years,he has published extensively on issues involving the law of the sea,including overfishing,maritime shipping and maritime security. In 2008,he served on an international commission that generated controversy by calling for the immediate suspension of bluefin tuna fishing in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. He has also served as an official at the United Nations and as a diplomat for the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations.
Dr Ian Borg is a Maltese politician currently serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade,as well as the Chair-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Recognised for his dynamic leadership and diplomatic acumen,Dr Borg plays a pivotal role in shaping Malta’s foreign policy,elevating the country’s international profile,fostering relationships with individual nations and global organisations,while also coordinating legislative initiatives and overseeing parliamentary matters.
Karmenu Vella is a Maltese politician and former member of the European Commission,in charge of Environment,Maritime Affairs and Fisheries between 2014 and 2019. He has been one of the longest serving Maltese Parliamentarian with the Maltese Labour Party. He was appointed Companion of the National Order of Merit of Malta in 2019.
Brian Jeffriess is the primary spokesperson for Australia's Southern bluefin tuna fishing and aquaculture industry. He lives in Port Lincoln,South Australia and is the chief executive for the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association. He is a current member of the Australian Maritime and Fisheries Academy,the Commonwealth Fisheries Association,the Aquaculture Advisory Committee and the Fisheries and Aquaculture Research Advisory Committee. Jeffriess features regularly in the Port Lincoln Times newspaper,where he relates the industry's activities and interests to his local community. He attends the international Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna meetings and works closely with industry and government. On 26 January 2012 Jeffriess was awarded Member of the Order of Australia "for service to the fishing and aquaculture industries as a contributor to the sustainable management and harvesting of Australian fisheries and through national and international professional associations." He has also been awarded State and National Seafood Icon status.
Francis Zammit Dimech is a Maltese politician who served in domestic Maltese politics as a member of the House of Representatives of Malta between 1987 and 2017 and as a Member of the European Parliament from 2017 till 2019. During his tenure within Maltese politics,Zammit Dimech held office as Minister for Foreign Affairs in the government of Lawrence Gonzi from 28 November 2012,until the defeat of Gonzi's government in the 2013 Maltese general election. He previously held numerous other ministerial responsibilities including communications,infrastructure,tourism,culture,and environment. Before being appointed Foreign Affairs Minister he served as Chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee. Prior to entering politics,Francis Zammit Dimech worked as a lawyer and broadcaster.
