Tunisia has seized or detained a number of its fishing vessels following diplomatic pressure from Malta over allegations of fishing infringements.

In separate developments, the European Commission requested the fishing vessel Sonia be placed on an international list of vessels suspected of illegal fishing, “banning” it from the Mediterranean “and eventually worldwide”, according to the Labour Party.

The PL said in a statement that Tunisia was taking “concrete steps” to address 21 cases of alleged infringements of fisheries rules following joint inspections with Malta and Italy.

The move follows “months of dialogue and diplomatic pressure,” the party said, noting the issue had been raised by Malta’s fisheries department and MEP Thomas Bajada, who called it “clear proof that the new European tools are working”.

In September, PN MEP Peter Agius urged EU Commissioner for Fisheries Costas Kadis to act on the issue, arguing for patrols of the Mediterranean to be stepped up during Lampuki season while noting there was only one boat assigned to the task.

In a letter to Kadis, Agius acknowledged that while the Ocean Sentinel vessel was having an impact, its area of effect was limited, noting “Tunisian poachers are planning their incursions” around the vessel’s course.

Fisheries junior minister Alicia Bugeja Said, writing on Facebook Sunday, called the recent developments a “historic victory for our country after years of work against illegal fishing on the lampuki lines of Maltese fishermen”.

One Maltese fisherman told Times of Malta in September that he often encountered Tunisian fishermen poaching Lampuki in his assigned fishing area.

“This is like sowing your field with potato seeds, watering the crop, and then someone just trespasses and picks the grown crop off the ground when it’s harvest time,” said Arthur Micallef, who has been fishing for the popular seasonal fish for 21 years.

“Just the material for the traps costs us between €7,000 and €10,000 per season,” Micallef said. “They don’t spend anything but take our fish… not just a few dozen, mind you, but boxes worth”.

The PL statement noted the alleged infringements were reported by a boat operated by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), with Tunisia’s actions taking place under the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM|).