Three important services that are provided to all fishermen are the provision of winch rooms services, service pillars and automated weighing scales which are scattered around the Maltese Islands.
Winch Rooms:
Fishermen who own larger vessels can also make use of the “Hard Standing Facility” at Marsaxlokk. This facility is equipped with cranes capable of lifting the larger vessels which are placed on land so that maintenance work is carried out. While smaller vessels use the winches to pull up or lower their fishing vessels. These winches are situated in the winch rooms which are placed at the top of the slipways. The majority of winch rooms are located in Marsaxlokk where there is the highest concentration of fishermen and fishing boats, but there are also winch rooms in other fishing villages like; Marsaskala, Birzebbugia, St Julian’s, St Paul’s Bay, Kalkara, Mellieha and other localities. The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture takes care of the maintenance of these winches and other gear, like steel eyelets, pulleys, wire ropes, hooks and other equipment and always ensures that these are maintained in a good and safe working condition.
Automated Weighing Scales:
The AWLS are precision digital scales which purpose is to weigh the fishermen’s catches. These AWLS provide a printout and a label of the respective catch and its weight according to the species, location and fishing vessel. This data can be used to establish relevant information about the fish caught around the Maltese waters. All this data is than transmitted in a central location where it is interpreted and stored.
Service Pillars:
Service pillars supply fishermen with water and electricity for their use on their fishing vessels. These service pillars have been installed at various locations around Malta where fishermen service their boats. The users can obtain a chip from the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and top up credit for the amount they require, and hence utilise the credit from these service pillars.
Health and Safety Unit:
The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture gives a lot of importance to the health and safety of its employees, fishermen and the public that are affected by fishing and related ancillary activities. The Health and Safety section within the Department is responsible for the implementation and enforcement of the Health and Safety Policy. Training and regular maintenance contribute to a safe and healthy environment, keeping the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture compliant with National and European Health and Safety Laws and Regulations.