1

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!

2

Water sampling as part of the project:

MonItaMal

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

in the marine protected area

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

3

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

4

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.

5

(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

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

The marine snail, Purple-

dye Murex, laying eggs.

6

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)

7

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 ic-

Cumnija. 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)

8

Conclusion

The first results for this environmental health check-up for the

marine protected area extending from Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-

Raheb 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.