Fish landings in the third quarter this year amounted to 432,257 kilograms, down by 12.8 per cent over the third quarter of 2010. This was due to a drop in most species, mainly Dorado (-26.7 per cent) and Swordfish (-23.0 per cent). Shrimp landings during the quarter under review registered an increase of 10.5 per cent over the comparative quarter last year. Similarly, the wholesale value of fresh fish landings declined by 13.4 per cent to €2.2 million. These figures were released today by the National Statistics Office.

During the period under review, Maltese fishermen landed 263,879 kilograms of fresh fish, 26.0 per cent less than the corresponding quarter last year. Swordfish and Dorado landings, which registered drops of 20.3 and 32.9 per cent respectively, accounted for 69.3 per cent of landings by Maltese fishermen. The wholesale value of fish landings by Maltese fishermen, which represented 61.0 per cent of total landings in volume, declined by 12.9 per cent, from €2.1 million in 2010 to €1.8 million this year.

Fish landings by Gozitan fishermen advanced by 21.3 per cent over the comparative period last year, mainly attributable to increases in fish classified under ‘Other Species.’ Gozitan fish landings made up 39.0 per cent of the volume of total landings, generating €323,718 in wholesale value, a drop of 16.6 per cent over the third quarter last year.

The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fish price index for the third quarter this year stood at 109.39 points, reflecting a drop of 4.31 points (-3.8 per cent) over the comparative period in 2010. The quarterly ‘All Items’ fresh fish volume index registered a decline of 18.96 points (-12.8 per cent), from 148.29 points in 2010 to 129.33 points in the period under review.

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