New and now
Discover how one of Malta’s first sustainable fishing divers is saving our sea
Here’s how to protect our sea while sticking to the Mediterranean diet.

Kristina Cassar Dowling

Sustainability is pretty much the buzz word at the moment - and rightfully so. We’re constantly striving to find solutions for making our life here on Earth a cleaner, friendlier and more selective one, and Luke Cassar, a sustainable fishing diver, does his bit by teaching like-minded locals and visitors how to fish in a sustainable way.

Facebook / Luke Cassar

Sustainable spearfishing is a selective way of catching fish - a staple ingredient in the Mediterranean diet. Spearfishing is all about protecting the seas and the fish that call our warm waters home. Seeing as diving deep below the surface of the water allows spearfishers to see what’s going on within a school of fish, picking the specific fish to catch is made possible - line fishing and trawler fishing does not allow for this selective treatment. Luke says that his practice "does not disturb the sea like nets do - you would never kill fish that are endangered or pregnant."

Facebook / Freediver Malta

The term sustainability, in this case, means that the number of fish in the sea, and the rate at which they are removed from the ocean is controlled.

“It goes without saying that spearfishing does not cause a decrease in fish levels,” stresses Luke.

One of the major concerns on our islands at the moment involves the cleanliness of our sea - fishing, or rather overfishing causes a huge impact on our waters. Luke believes that fishing is not the reason our oceans are dirty, rather, negligence is - we need to “clean the ocean and stop polluting it”. Therefore, spearfishing is not the solution to a cleaner ocean, but it is the solution to a friendlier means of fishing where a species’ quantity and vulnerability is taken into account before finding itself on our dinner plate.

Facebook / Freediver Malta

Luke continues to say that our ancestors' past was focused around selective fishing, which leaves us with a critical question: can Malta live off sustainable spearfishing? For Luke, the answer is clear: we should stop using certain methods for fishing and go back to the old-school ways of hauling in a catch.


Kristina Cassar Dowling
Written by
Kristina Cassar Dowling
A local writer in love with the Maltese islands, Kristina is a hunter for all things cultural both in Malta and outside its shores. A curious foodie, music fanatic, art lover and keen traveller with an open mind and a passion for writing.