Il-Maghluq ta’ Marsaskala
Latitude and longitude: 35.862295684951455, 14.562343884659104
The Special Area of Conservation (SAC) of Il-Magħluq tal-Baħar ta’ Marsaskala is found within the Marsaskala locality boundary. The site is characterised by a body of brackish water which was originally two interconnected ponds. Triq il-Gardiel runs parallel to the elongated saline marshland’s eastern side. The marshland is separated from the sea by a narrow strip of land although there is a connection to the marine environment via two pipes laid under the road. Sea water incursions are common during storms and bad weather. The site is under threat from invasive alien species including the fish, the Mullet, which may compete with the resident Killifish. The pool also has agricultural land on its western and southern sides. In the late 1990s the site was fenced by the former Environment Protection Department. In the two main ponds which host around a million litres of water together, one can find many interesting species of fish which include Grey Mullet, Sea Bass, Sea Bream and the Freshwater Eel. However, one particular fish, the Mediterranean Killifish is unique as it is known to be only found in three other locations around the Maltese Islands where one can find brackish water. Furthermore, the site hosts plants such as the Sea Rushes which are quite rare in the Maltese Islands and the Sea Lavender which are typical of the salt marsh habitat il-Magħluq offers.
