In the third quarter, the reported volume and wholesale value of fish landings in Malat and Gozo in Malta declined by 14.6 and 3.6 per cent respectively over the corresponding period last year.
According to the figures released by the National Statistics Office, in the third quarter, the volume of fish landed at the local fish market by Gozitan fishermen declined by 30.3 per cent. Lower Dorado landings (-52.4 per cent) and other species,’ mainly Mackarel (-23.7 per cent) contributed to this downfall.
As a result, the wholesale value for fish landings by Gozitan fishermen during the third quarter amounted to 303,938, a drop of 6.1 per cent over the comparative period last year.
Fish landings in the third quarter this year in Malta and Gozo amounted to 369,136 kilograms, down by 14.6 per cent over the comparative period last year. This was due to a drop in various species, mainly Shrimp (-43.0 per cent) and Dorado (-36.6 per cent). Swordfish, the main species landed during the quarter under review, registered an increase of 6.3 per cent over the comparative period last year. Furthermore, the wholesale value of fresh fish landings declined by 3.6 per cent to 2.1 million.
During the period under review, Maltese fishermen landed 251,812 kilograms (-4.6 per cent) of fresh fish, making up 68.2 per cent of total landings. This resulted from a drop in landings in respect of Shrimp (-43.6 per cent) and Dorado (-23.6 per cent). The wholesale value of fish landings by Maltese fishermen, which represented 85.4 per cent of total landings, declined by 3.2 per cent to 1.8 million this year.
The quarterly All Items’ fresh fish price index for the third quarter stood at 125.09 points, up 14.4 per cent over the comparative period in 2011. The quarterly All Items’ fresh fish volume index declined by 18.88 points (-14.6 per cent), from 129.33 points in 2011 to 110.45 points in the period under review.
2012 Gozo News.Com