Lobster Survey Report 2018.

Abstract

The spiny lobster fishery has traditionally been managed as a seasonal and limited access (license-limited) fishery. This is due to the fact that fishers only exploit the shallow water and coastal stocks which, limited in size, deplete rapidly when exploited. There have been several collapses of these coastal stocks in the past when too many licenses have been allowed, or when the fishery has been opened for more than 3 or 4 consecutive seasons. Consequently, the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) assesses the status of the stock using fisheries dependent and fisheries independent (surveys) data and provides managers with advice on whether the fishery should be opened or remains closed.