Is the pike on its last journey?
Talks are underway with the EU to stop it from financing the destruction of traditional Maltese wooden boats to replace them with more modern and safer craft, said the curator of the Malta Maritime Museum.
The EU directive, while having “good intentions”, requires fishermen to surrender their licenses in exchange for compensation in an effort to control fishing.
Its aim is to provide financial measures for the implementation of the common fisheries policy (CFP) and the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture areas, which support fishermen to comply with the requirements of the new.
But as part of the Association of Maritime Museums of the Mediterranean, efforts were being made to raise awareness of the “poorness” of funding the destruction of traditional boats and to explain their importance, said the curator. Liam Gauci.
He acknowledged that there was a consensus between the EU and the affected countries to stop the practice, as strong local investment continues to be poured into these vessels, including through the engagement of two shipbuilders. full-time to restore her own collection.
Countries such as Greece, for example, are also working on rescuing and restoring traditional hulls through private ownership after thousands of them were destroyed as a result of the policy. survived. Latin boat – measuring 48 feet – is now in its first year of restoration to a safe state by a boat builder, and the other is working on the huge task of saving the Heritage Malta collection of 82 traditional Maltese boats, accumulated over the last 30 years.
“A luzzu it could have been bought for € 4,000, but its ‘massive, intrinsic, uncalculated value’ went beyond that. “
As the custodian of the collection, the museum is home to all of these varieties, Gauci said, stressing, however, that they were only five percent of his tenure.
The work on the 100-year-old boat, bought by the national agency, is a “big headache”, soaking hundreds of thousands of euros on wood and research, Gauci said. explained that he aims to save each luzzu on the island she needed money, workers and concrete plans and could not rely solely on volunteers.
He was reacting to the concerns of the newly formed Malta Traditional Boats Association, which is predicting the luzzu it will be a thing of the past within three decades.
“We wish they could all be saved, but in the cold light of day, this is a very difficult exercise to achieve,” Gauci said pragmatically, while asking what it really means “traditional” and put the luzzus – not even 100 years – in their wider context.
In the restoration of these wooden boats, the environmental aspect also needed to be considered, he said.
While EU policy, “with all good intentions”, has been funding the destruction of traditional fishing boats, its Horizon program, one of its latest calls for projects aimed specifically at preservation of traditional crafts, seemed to be a contradiction, said an associate professor. of Maritime Archeology at the University of Malta, Timmy Gambin.
Passionate about maritime heritage in general, Gambin said it wasn’t just about nostalgia.
A luzzu could be bought for € 4,000, but its “massive, intrinsic, uncalculated value” has gone beyond that, spread in Malta Tourism Authority posters, postcards, iconic eye Instagram pictures on these boats and visits to Marsaxlokk.
With a proactive approach, Gambin called for concessions and financial incentives, such as tax cuts, for full-time fishermen, who use these boats, to sustain the tradition.
He also suggested the creation of a national census of the number of boats, their use and the condition for determining the situation.
“While the Cultural Heritage Act states that anything that is 50 years old is considered a cultural heritage, which spurs its protection, the rule does not seem to apply to traditional Maltese boats,” said Gambin. who pointed out that nothing was stopping anyone from destroying them without a doubt.
While also highlighting the demand for this rare knowledge, he recounted how one of the few remaining boat builders was approached for work and could not take it until 2024.
Moved to tears by the lost ability
A senior builder of a traditional fishing boat says he is moved to tears when he thinks of the “lost” ability.
Giuseppi Baldacchino, now 82, learned the art of dying from his father and loved to pass on to the next generation what he called “art form”.
His advanced age means that he no longer has the strength to build wooden boats on his own, but has “all the experience in my head, and especially in my heart” and will be happy to take a couple of apprentices to share. dan.
“They want to be interested, dedicated and passionate,” Baldacchino stressed as a prerequisite, saying it takes patience and dedication.
He says that fiberglass dealt a severe blow to wooden vessels: it was back in the 1970s that he took over this material and when Baldacchino built his last. luzzu, although he continued to build cabin cruisers and other types of wooden vessels. His Msida garage is still full of equipment, drawings and models.
The part-time boat builder had spent nine years as a nautical school teacher, but recent initiatives to use his rare skills have not begun.
“The Italians, and in particular the Sicilians, have continued this tradition,” said Baldacchino, who lamented that it no longer exists here. The Malta Traditional Boat Association noted that many are being abandoned, damaged and destroyed, with the Cleaning and Maintenance Division recently removing about 70 of the roads.
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