Lampuki is the

Maltese Maltese may refer to: * Someone or something of, from, or related to Malta * Maltese alphabet * Maltese cuisine * Maltese culture * Maltese language, the Semitic language spoken by Maltese people * Maltese people, people from Malta or of Malte ...

name for the dorado or

mahi-mahi The mahi-mahi () or common dolphinfish (''Coryphaena hippurus'') is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical, and subtropical waters worldwide. Also widely called dorado (not to be confused with ''Salminus brasil ...

, a kind of fish that migrates past the

Maltese islands Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

during the autumn. The fishing season for lampuki is from 15 August through to the end of December, in accordance with Article 12 of Regulation (EU) No. 1343/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011. Fishermen cut and gather the larger, lower fronds from

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm trees ...

s which they then weave into large flat rafts. The rafts are pulled out to sea, usually with the small traditional

fishing boats A fishing vessel is a boat or ship used to catch fish in the sea, or on a lake or river. Many different kinds of vessels are used in commercial, artisanal and recreational fishing. The total number of fishing vessels in the world in 2016 was es ...

known as

luzzu A ''luzzu'' (, pl. ''luzzijiet'') is a traditional fishing boat from the Maltese islands. This type of boat developed in the early 20th century, although it is very similar to much older traditional Maltese boats such as the '' ferilla''. They ...

, but can also be pulled out to sea by using larger modern fishing boats. Around midday, lampuki school underneath the rafts, seeking the shade. The fishermen first stay 5–10 metres away from the raft and repeatedly go around the raft pulling a silicone squid jig behind them until they catch something; they then leave the lampuka (dorado, mahi-mahi) hanging off the side of the boat until other fish come and school next to it; then a mesh net is thrown over the schooling fish. This method is known as kannizzati and has not changed significantly since

Roman times In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

. The lampuki are used both for local consumption as well as export.

External links

Everything You Need to Know About Lampuki Season in Malta
- Air Malta Maltese cuisine Fishing techniques and methods {{fish-stub