Case study
Aquatic Resources Malta
Aquatic Resources Malta is the public agency for research, development and commercialisation in aquaculture and fisheries, based at Fort San Luċjan in Marsaxlokk. M7Alpha designed and built its website, which sets out the agency's research areas, facilities, projects and opportunities in plain, well-organised pages, and hosts and maintains it.
The project
Aquatic Resources Malta (ARM) is the public agency dedicated to research, development and commercialisation in aquaculture and fisheries in Malta. M7Alpha designed and built the agency’s website at aquaticresources.gov.mt, and hosts and maintains it. This case study explains how the site is organised, how it presents specialist scientific work to a general audience, and what other public bodies can take from the approach.
What is Aquatic Resources Malta?
Aquatic Resources Malta is an agency established under Subsidiary Legislation 595.47, through Legal Notice 283 of 2023, to advance the science behind sustainable fisheries and aquaculture. It is based at Fort San Luċjan, on Qajjenza Road in Marsaxlokk.
According to its website, the agency collects and analyses data on the Maltese fisheries sector, including the 25 nautical mile Fisheries Management Zone around the islands, and proposes measures to manage fisheries resources from both ecological and socio-economic perspectives. It also carries out aquaculture research on specific marine species, takes part in international scientific meetings, and works with partners such as the University of Malta, MCAST, Xjenza Malta and several universities and research bodies abroad.
What does a public research agency need from its website?
It needs one place that explains a broad, technical remit clearly to very different readers. A fisheries scientist, a student looking for an internship, an aquaculture business, a teacher planning a visit and a member of the public all arrive with different questions, and a public body has a duty to answer each of them plainly.
The ARM website is built around four practical jobs. It explains the mandate: who the agency is, the legal basis it works under and what it is responsible for. It shows the work, with research areas, facilities and projects described in enough detail to be useful to specialists. It opens the door to careers, internships, partnerships and visits. And it keeps key documents, such as the VisionARM 2050 framework and the agency’s Quality Service Charter, where people expect to find them.
How is the website organised?
The website gives each main question about the agency its own section, reached from a short main menu.
| Section | What visitors find there |
|---|---|
| About | Who ARM is, its legal basis, mission and objectives, partners, the VisionARM 2050 framework in Maltese and English, and the Quality Service Charter |
| Facilities | The tanks, hatchery sections and laboratories used for research |
| Research Areas | The seven sections of the agency’s work, from socio-economic research to education outreach |
| Projects | On-going and past projects, listed separately |
| Opportunities | Full-time positions, internships, partnerships and informational visits |
| Get In Touch | Phone, email, address and an enquiry form |
Projects opens into on-going and past work, so visitors can reach any part of the site in one or two clicks. The footer repeats the seven research sections and links to the agency’s social channels, which gives a second route into the content from every page.
How does the site explain specialist research to non-specialists?
Each page starts with a plain overview and puts the technical detail underneath, so a general reader gets the point quickly and a specialist can keep reading.
The Facilities page is a good example. It walks through the research infrastructure one part at a time: broodstock tanks, live feed production for microalgae, rotifers and artemia, larval rearing, nursery tanks, smaller experimental areas, and the wet and dry laboratories. Each part has its own heading and a short description of what it is used for, including the species involved and how the seawater is filtered. A reader can scan the headings or read every line.
The Research Areas page does the same for the agency’s seven sections: Socioeconomic Research and Project Management, Marine Biology and Conservation, Data Analytics and Reporting, Aquaculture Research and Development, Research Technical Services, Sustainable Development, and Education Outreach. Each section states its remit in a few sentences, so readers can see which team handles which work.
How does the site support visits, careers and partnerships?
It gives each kind of contact its own clear route rather than a single generic form.
The Opportunities section speaks directly to people looking for a full-time position, an internship, a partnership or an informational visit. The About page points visitors to a Book a Visit option to reserve a date and time. The agency’s phone number, email and address sit on a dedicated Get In Touch page with an enquiry form. For an agency that works with universities, industry, NGOs and schools, these routes matter as much as the research content itself.
What can other public bodies learn from this project?
A public website works best when it is organised around what citizens and partners need to find and do. From this project:
- State the body’s legal basis and remit plainly on the About page.
- Give each area of work its own clearly headed section.
- Keep official documents, such as strategies and service charters, easy to find and available in the languages people use.
- Separate current work from past work, so the site always shows what is happening now.
- Offer distinct routes for careers, partnerships, visits and general enquiries.
Clear, factual pages also help beyond the website. When someone asks ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot or Perplexity what a Maltese public body does, those assistants rely on sources that state the facts plainly. Our article on AEO vs SEO vs GEO explains why this kind of structure matters.
How M7Alpha helps public bodies and organisations
M7Alpha designs, builds, hosts and maintains websites for organisations in Malta and beyond, with the whole team in-house. If your organisation needs a clearer public website, see our web design and development service or get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
Who designed the Aquatic Resources Malta website?
M7Alpha Creative Studios, a web design, development and branding agency in Żurrieq, Malta, designed and built the Aquatic Resources Malta website. M7Alpha also hosts and maintains the site.
What does Aquatic Resources Malta do?
Aquatic Resources Malta is a public agency working on research, development and commercialisation in aquaculture and fisheries. It collects and analyses fisheries data around the Maltese Islands, carries out aquaculture research on marine species and runs education outreach on aquatic ecosystems.
Where is Aquatic Resources Malta based?
The agency is based at Fort San Luċjan, Qajjenza Road, Marsaxlokk. Its website lists a phone number, an email address and an enquiry form on the Get In Touch page, and a Book a Visit option for anyone who wants to arrange a visit.
What should a public agency website include?
At minimum: a plain explanation of the body’s role and legal basis, a section for each area of work, current and past projects, official documents such as strategies and service charters, and clear routes for careers, partnerships and general enquiries. Each page should answer one question well.
