From The Times recently:

It was when a third of the cinema audience sprang to its feet shouting at us, and my wife, fearing violence, slipped out of the side door, that I began wondering if we had taken on more than we could handle. The screening last month of The End of the Line in Malta, the centre of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna industry, was the closest I have yet come to a riot since I first pointed out that overfishing is killing our oceans.

Making the case for a ban on the international bluefin trade in a country that earns £87m a year from supplying sushi to Japan was always going to be like telling the barnyard cats that mice were off the menu.

Though I knew that Malta’s prosperous tuna ranchers wouldn’t enjoy being told they were making their precious fish extinct, the fury of their reaction took me by surprise. Were the figures right? What business did we British have in talking about banning trade in tuna? What about banning trade in north Atlantic cod, eh? Eh? I remember shouting back, “Sit down, shut up and I’ll answer your questions,” but the Maltese tuna men were not in the mood to listen.

I cast my mind back a year, to one of the film’s first screenings, held for schoolchildren at the Sundance film festival in Utah. The opening question had a stunning directness: “When I’m your age, will there still be fish in the sea?” I only wished the teenager who asked it could have seen my Maltese audience. It would have shown him what we’re up against.

LOW-BUDGET documentary features don’t usually get this kind of reaction, but The End of the Line — a film based on my 2004 book of that name — is no ordinary documentary. It is a wake-up call about the decline of the world’s wild fish catches, alerting viewers to the imminent eradication of one of the planet’s great species, and showing them what can be done to stop it.

The bluefin tuna has been around for 400m years. An astonishing fish, it accelerates faster than a sports car and migrates across whole oceans. Unfortunately, its rich, marbled flesh has become one of the most prized delicacies on earth. In the past decade its population has fallen 60% through rampant illegal fishing. The stock is now on the verge of collapse and the WWF (formerly the World Wildlife Fund) predicts that bluefin spawners will be virtually eradicated by 2012.  To read the full article click here

For more information about Malta, including holidays in Malta and flights to Malta visit yourmalta.com

Sliema

Are you visiting Malta in March - and celebrating your birthday while on the island?

Good news - book into the Palace Hotel in Sliema - review at http://www.yourmalta.com/hotels - and they will give you dinner on the house on your birthday at their TemptAsian restaurant!

Even if it’s not your birthday when you visit for a holiday, the Palace in Sliema is well worth considering as your hotel as it does get good customer satisfaction rates.

As jobs get harder to hold onto, and for those with long term careers often finding more pressure today from their employers than ever before, finding a way to relax during time off has led to a surge in popularity for spa holidays.

And it’s not just employees who are heading for the spa – company directors and owners are feeling just as much if not pressure during the economic downturn, trying to keep their companies going and having to plan ahead in uncertain times.

For many a conventional holiday is not enough to completely relax, but they find a spa holiday lets their troubles float away, leaving them relaxed and better able to face the world when they return to work.

And Malta is fast becoming one of Europe’s top destinations for a spa holiday, with hotels specialising in the market, with facilities and fully trained staff to match who have worked in the Malta holidays industry.

Gone are the days when spa vacations were just for the rich and famous, they still take them, but theirs is an experience that the many can now enjoy, and not just the few.

With many Malta hotels offering the service, prices have fallen in real terms over the years.

Quite a few hotels now have spas and gyms as part of their facilities, but some of the Malta hotels are being recognised as specialists in the field, and it makes it easy to plan holidays in Malta around a spa hotel.

The Fortina Spa Resort in Silema for example is five star and offers a choice of over 200 treatments, designed to relax and soothe their guests.

The Fortina has been featured in UK newspapers and Sunday supplements and praised by travel journalists for its quality.

The old image of a spa holiday was a lettuce leaf for lunch – that’s all changed now, and The Fortina has first class cuisine, making sure the overall experience is as good as it gets.

With Malta flights coming down in price in recent years, other hotels are trying to match the Fortina’s reputation for excellence.

The Preluna Hotel & Spa is one example. Ideally located on the Sliema seafront, the Feelgood Wellness Spa is well within reach of the town’s amenities and offers natural beauty treatments and massage. It also has a well equipped fitness centre.

The Riviera Resort and Spa adapts its treatments to suit each client. It combines wellness, fitness, beauty and relaxation for the best experience possible. Reflexology, deep tissue massages, and hair and skin care are just a few of the treatments available.

Kempinski Hotel San Lawrenz is another option where guests can enjoy one of the hotel’s four pools as they indulge in its luxury spa treatments. Aside from beauty treatments, it also offers Ayurveda and conventional massages. Yoga and Pilates sessions are also available.

To see how much a visit to any of these might cost check out Thomas Cook Holidays or visit http://www.yourmalta.com/hotels

More details about Malta with travel news and articles can be found at yourmalta.com and people who have been often report back on social media like twitter

The good old honey bee is essential for the pollination process. Luckily, Malta hasnt experienced the same decline in honey bees as the U.S.

There has been a drastic fall in honey bees and their colonies in recent years, especially in the U.S. While bees can seem like mere pests when they invade family picnics, they do serve an important role in agriculture and the economy.

The Importance of Honey Bees

Honey bees are responsible for honey production and helping with crops. They are essential in the pollination process. Big losses can occur without enough bees to pollinate plants and flowers. Honey bees are responsible for 80 percent of the flowering crops in the U.S. They help with fruits, nuts, olives, soybeans, cucumbers, alfalfa sprouts, legume seeds and cotton.

The Decline of Honey Bees in the U.S.

The bee population is in danger. Possible causes of the dying bees are the pesticides being used, cell phones giving off radiation and amateur beekeepers.

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) is another reason for the dying bees. This is when bees mysteriously leaves their hives and never return. It is believed that they become diseased and die off at this point.

Bees are social by nature, so it is strange that they would leave the hive and not return. No evidence of dead bees is found near their hives. Furthermore, they leave behind their young and the queen bee. Their disappearance is quick because there is usually storage of honey left in the hive as well.

Varroa mites are likely the cause of CCD. These are parasites that attack hives and suck out the honey bees’ fluids, leaving them weak and prone to infections.

The declining bee population and CCD could lead to the bee population to die out in as little as 10 years if measures aren’t taken. The problem is that without honey bees to help in the pollination process, the agricultural industry will suffer greatly. A lack of honey bees has a huge effect on farmers, produce and the economy in general. Honey crops reduced by just 20 percent results in 31 million pounds of honey lost. The impact is real and far reaching.

The Bee Population in Malta

Malta, nicknamed “land of the honey,” is home to a large bee population. The warm temperatures year round and the dense plant life make Malta an ideal environment for bees. Malta is known for its big bee pollination and honey production.

Luckily, Malta hasn’t experienced the same decline in honey bees as the U.S. Malta’s honeybees are slightly different than the ones that live in the U.S. They don’t have the yellow stripes. Instead they are mostly brown and black. They are very active and seem to have better immunity against disease than the American honey bees. They are also spared some of the pesticides that the American honey bees are exposed to.

Hope for Rebuilding Bee Colonies in the U.S.

Funds have been approved by Congress to research the problem with the disappearing bees in the U.S. Conservation and development of bee hives is encouraged as researchers look for answers for the declining bee population. It’s something to think about the next time you swat at a harmless bee that shows interest in your lunch. Awareness is the first step in making positive change in the honey bee crisis.