A project co financed by the European Union
A First ‘Health Check-Up’
of a Marine Protected Area in the making
Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb
Malta’s coastline and coastal waters are exposed to intense
pressures and risks from human activities. Therefore, our
marine environmental resources need to be properly taken
care of and managed for their intrinsic value, including their
economic potential and also to be enjoyed by future
generations. One way to protect such resources is the
establishment of marine protected areas. Such areas are
designated for their high ecological value as well as for their
rich biodiversity (different species of flora and fauna) and
their aesthetic value.
One marine protected area is that ranging from Rdum
Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb. This area on the northwest of Malta
is enriched with a variety of habitats and includes a very rich
biodiversity. We need to ensure that the state of health of this
area is well taken care of. Hence it is important that the state
of health of this area is periodically checked, and that the
levels of certain potential contaminants are monitored.
Over the past few months, a group of scientists has been
engaged in a wide-ranging series of surveys and their analysis
to produce an assessment of the status in which the marine
protected area is found.
And this booklet will present the first results!
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MonItaMal Project
This assessment was undertaken within the framework of a
project co-financed by the European Union through the
Programme of Trans-boundary Cooperation INTERREG IIIA
Italia-Malta. This project, MonItaMal, has been undertaken by a
research consortium composed of two Italian research institutions,
namely: Parco Scientifico e Tecnologico della Sicilia (Lead
Partner) and Istituto Centrale di Ricerca Scientifica e
Tecnologica Applicata al Mare (ICRAM). The Maltese partner
in this project was the Department of Biology of the University
of Malta.
The project MonItaMal aims at
harmonizing and developing a
common marine environmental
monitoring system. The project
was initiated in January 2006,
and has already included a
number of marine surveys
undertaken in Lampedusa and
Water sampling as part of the project:
in the marine protected area
MonItaMal
from Ras ir-Raheb to Rdum
Majjiesa, which received particular attention throughout the
undertaking of this project. A clearer, albeit preliminary picture of
the state of health of this site has thus been achieved. The
following sections contain a non-technical review of the
information after the first surveys taken in summer of 2006.
State of Water Quality
The temperature, salinity, water transparency and other basic
water characteristics (such as levels of nutrients and chlorophyll)
were found to be typical of local inshore waters which are not
exposed to intense human pressure. For example the levels of
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dissolved nitrates as measured at surface and in bottom waters in
a site at il-Qarraba showed low values which are typical of clean
and clear waters.
State of Quality of Marine Sediments
Very often most of the pollution which may be present in marine
waters will ultimately end up in the bottom marine sediments of
the impacted area. For this reason, in order to check for pollution
in a particular place, particular attention is usually given to its
marine sediments.
These results show that as expected the levels of certain heavy
metals such as cadmium, copper, lead and zinc as monitored in
the marine sediments off il-Qarraba are very low indeed. They are
generally much lower than levels which are normally found to be
environmentally acceptable. The levels of pesticides and of other
organic contaminants such as PCBs were also found to be low.
The only exception to this picture of very good state of health was
that for tributyltin (TBT).
TBT is an antifouling agent found in marine paints used for
vessels. This chemical is one of the most toxic pollutants known,
and is purposely used to kill off fouling organisms such as
barnacles, algae and other marine forms which grow on the hulls
of vessels. It has been formerly used on a large scale both for
small boats as well as for ships. However, TBT antifouling agent
is now known to cause environmental damage to a whole list of
other marine organisms which do not foul hulls, such as marine
snails and other molluscs. For example, it is known to cause
modifications in sex in a local marine snail, Purple-dye Murex
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The levels of certain pollutants as found in marine sediments off Qarraba. These results show that for most pollutants, this site is one
of the cleanest in Malta.
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(Hexaplex trunculus) which is known as “il-Bekkum” in Maltese.
This very common snail has been used since Phoenicians times, to
produce the famous royal purple dye for clothes to be worn by the
very rich. Unfortunately this snail is negatively affected by TBT,
when the female (which is otherwise normal) will start growing a
penis. This phenomenon which is technically called imposex, has
been the reason for a decline in the population of such snails.
The results obtained in 2006 show that
the levels of TBT in the marine
sediments off Qarraba are very high and
at least 10 times higher that the level
which is considered as ecologically safe.
Evidently these high levels are also
found in other inshore waters around
The marine snail, Purpledye Murex, laying eggs.
Malta and this must be due to the high
maritime traffic all along our coasts,
including within the marine protected area.
The use of TBT is now legally controlled and it is hoped that by
abiding with such regulations and by using alternative antifouling
paints which do not contain TBT, this problem will be solved in
the near future.
Other Results
In one investigation, mussels were placed in cages and deposited
in two areas within this area in July 2006. They were anchored in
place, submerged below the sea surface for a period of 6 weeks.
During this period, mussels which are filter feeders would have
come in good contact with the marine environment so that they
would have taken up and bioaccumulated any contaminants which
may have been present in the area. These mussels were then
retrieved and their flesh analysed for different pollutants. In effect
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these mussels were being used as bioindicators of pollution. The
first results of the chemical analysis on such mussels indicate that
the levels of heavy metals and of several organic pollutants such
as pesticides and PCBs in the area are very low and in many cases
below detection limit. This again confirms the very good state of
health of this area.
In another investigation the fish communities of the area were
compared to those at Cumnija, which is further north to Rdum
Majjiesa and were raw sewage is presently being discharged. The
results of this study confirmed that the fish communities in the
marine protected area are healthy with a rich biodiversity as
would be expected in a very clean inshore area. Fishes such as the
Ornate Wrasse (Thalassoma pavo: Maltese: Lhudi) and the Parrot
Fish (Sparisoma cretense: Maltese: Marzipan), which were
particularly abundant in the marine protected area were almost
absent from ic-Cumnija.
On the other hand, the study highlighted significant alterations to
the marine environment caused by the sewage outfall at Cumnija.
High abundances of two small fishes Gobius bucchichi and
Parablennius rouxi were recorded. These fish are able to survive
in polluted areas, feeding on the small invertebrates that live in
the organic matter.
Fish in clean waters (marine protected area) differ from those in polluted waters
(Cumnija)
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These results confirm that the type of fish found in a particular
area will greatly depend on the level of pollution. The fish
community in a clean area like that found in this marine protected
area, is quite different from that found in polluted areas like at icCumnija. It is hoped that the good conditions at the marine
protected area will be maintained through good management.
Furthermore future plans for a sewage treatment plant at Cumnija
will soon lead to raw sewage no longer being discharged at sea in
this locality.
During December 2006, the Malta Environment and Planning
Authority undertook a survey of the noble fan shell (Pinna
nobilis: Maltese: In-Nakkra tal-Harira), which was an activity of
the project titled “MedPAN”. This project was co- financed by the
EU through its Community Initiative INTERREG IIIC. During
the survey, conducted by foreign experts it was found that in the
marine protected area, there is a healthy population of the Pinna
nobilis. However most of the specimens found were classified as
young ones. This fact dictates further investigations to ascertain
the conditions that have lead to this population structure and also
the implementation of mitigation measures that would allow the
number of adults to increase since the young ones are muchmore
vulnerable to threats.
Experts undertaking the Pinna nobilis survey; A Pinna nobilis
(photos © Jose R. Garcia March)
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Conclusion
The first results for this environmental health check-up for the
marine protected area extending from Rdum Majjiesa to Ras irRaheb have confirmed that this is one of the cleanest and least
polluted inshore area around the Maltese Islands. Except for the
antifouling agent TBT which is released from boats, the levels of
most pollutants were found to be very low. The fish and other
species biodiversity was found to be very rich and all in all these
results were considered to be extremely positive.
It is now essential that this excellent state of ‘ecological health’
will be maintained through proper management and that the local
residents and all those who visit the area will keep on enjoying its
riches and beauty, without compromising its good state. Let’s do
our best to ensure that we will hand down this resource to future
generations, at least in its current state, and indeed in a better
condition by more responsible use of boating activities in the area.
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