Marine conservation areas (general)

Spearfishing is prohibited in every one of the 15 Conservation Areas the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has set around wrecks in Maltese territorial waters, together with set bottom lines, trammel nets, gill nets and entangling nets, encircling nets, and demersal pots and traps. Trolling lines (rixa) are also banned, but only in the five shore-accessible areas at Wied iż-Żurrieq, Off Xatt l-Aħmar, Marsascala, Off Cirkewwa and Off Il-Ponta ta' San Ġiljan; in the other ten, trolling is permitted provided no diving vessel is displaying the Alpha flag. Only vessels engaged in recreational or technical diving operations may enter or moor inside a Conservation Area, and then only after pre-notification to Valletta VTS on VHF channel 12; all other vessels must remain clear. Basis: Local Notice to Mariners No 025 of 2026 (Conservation Areas around Wrecks, updated February 2026), Ports and Yachting Directorate, Transport Malta, superseding LNtM 113 of 2024 and LNtM 215 of 2023. Note that a local notice to mariners is the published statement of the areas, not itself a legal instrument: LNtM 025 of 2026 publishes areas the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has set and cites no legal notice; the enabling power is the Fisheries Conservation and Management Act, Cap. 425, art. 38(2)(b)-(c).