Fishing Vessels – Italian purse seiner S. RAFFAELE

One of the Italian purse seiner that used to be seen during the Blue Fin Tuna (BFT) Season was the 1974 built S.RAFFAELE which on radio vhf she was called as SAN RAFFAELE. She was built at Cantieri Navali Codecasa at Viareggio with yard number F23 as S.RAFFAELE for Cooperativa S. Michele based at Cetara, […]

Casualties – Algerian Purse Seiner YOUNES II sank – April, 2018

On Tuesday 3rd April, 2018, the Algerian tuna purse seiner YOUNES II launched an SOS message to her sister YOUNES I, of which she did not assist her for unknown reasons.  YOUNES I  was able to return to the Tunisian coast to berth in Bizerte, unlike her sistership YOUNES II which disappeared 20 miles north […]

Fishing Vessel – Cypriot LOUCAS

One of the Cypriot fishing vessels that used to be seen at Malta was the 2002 bult trawler LOUCAS with fishing matricola as CYP 232. She was built in Egypt in 2002 with metal hull and entered service in 2004. In November 2006 she was forced to enter Valletta for Board & Search by the […]

BFT Season 2023 – Morrocan Purse Seiner SAAD ALLAH – 31.05.2023

The eastern bluefin migration has supported valuable fisheries in the Mediterranean since antiquity. Initially based on hand lines and beach seines, these fisheries were dominated after the 16th century by tuna cages placed in the path of migrating tuna. After the expansion of purse seines and longlines in the Atlantic (in the 1950s) and in […]

BFT Season 2023 – Algerian Purse Seiner LES FRERES BENAMANE

The eastern bluefin migration has supported valuable fisheries in the Mediterranean since antiquity. Initially based on hand lines and beach seines, these fisheries were dominated after the 16th century by tuna cages placed in the path of migrating tuna. After the expansion of purse seines and longlines in the Atlantic (in the 1950s) and in […]

Fishing Vessel – Spanish Gill Netter NUESTRA MADRE LORETO

One of the Spanish Fishing Vessels that from time to time she’s seen in our waters is the 1997 built gill netter NUESTRA MADRE LORETO. She was built in Spain by Astilleros Cardama in Vigo with yard number 403 as NUESTRA MADRE LORETO homeported at Santa Pola since July 1997 with fishing matricola as 3ª […]

Maltese Fishing Vessels – MFA 283 SAN NIKOLA

One of the Danish built vessels that used to trade around the Maltese Islands was the 1963 built 25.03 metre fishing vessel SAN NIKOLA. She was built in Denmark by Marstal Traeskibsverft at Marstal as the SLEIPNIR VE 62 for scampi fishing at Iceland. In 1996 she was bought to Maltese owners and brought to […]

BFT Season 2023 – Cypriot Fishing Vessel MY HENDRIKA

The eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna was long a symbol of overfishing and fisheries mismanagement. Over the past decade, the stock has recovered, following the rebuilding measures introduced by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a highly migratory pelagic fish of impressive size (up […]

Fishing Vessels – Tunisian ABOU SHAMA and DENPHIR I at Malta – June 2013

With Blue Fin Tuna (BFT) Season in place it was interesting to see 2 Tunisian purse seiners at Grand Harbour, Malta during June 2013 sheltering from strong winds, both of them during their maiden calls. These were the 1996 built wooden 24 metre wooden hull purse seiner ABOU SHAMA homeported in Monastir with fishing matricola […]