Mahé Plateau trap and line fishery co-management plan. [Fisheries Act, 2014 (Act 20 of 2014) Pursuant to section 5(7) of the Fisheries Act, the Minister responsible for fisheries hereby publish...]

Abstract

The Mahé Plateau supports a demersal artisanal fishery that is critically important in providing local food security and economic development in Seychelles. The main species targeted by the hand line fishery are snappers, groupers and emperors whereas the trap fishery targets rabbitfish, parrotfish and emperors. However, over recent years fishers have raised concerns over decreasing catch rates and sizes of target species, and this has been supported by risk and stock assessments. These assessment results demonstrated multiple lines of evidence that overfishing on some of the major plateau fishery species is likely to be occurring and that management intervention is an urgent need. Sustainable resource management is also consistent with the vision of the Seychelles Government. Consistent with world's best practice the development of this plan followed principles of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), also a requirement of the Seychelles Government's Fisheries Act 2014. The development of the plan also heavily involved stakeholder consultation and input. This plan document presents the elements of the management plan for the Mahé plateau artisanal trap and line fishery. These elements are: 1. Objectives of the management plan, 2. Issues facing the fishery, 3. How the plan will be implemented, 4. Management strategies and regulations, 5. The Performance Measurement System, 6. Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (details included in a separate plan document), and 7. a plan review process. Central to the plan are management strategies and regulations that were developed to address fishery issues identified and prioritized by stakeholders, and evolved based on stakeholder feedback during the consultation process. The plan describes the intent of each management strategy/regulation and their rationale, and highlights aspects relevant to their successful implementation. Itwill be implemented in two phases over 24 months to ensure key measures can be introduced immediately, while other measures can be given the requisite time for their comprehensive development prior to implementation. The development of this fisheries management plan was initiated in 2007 and significantly developed in 2015 under the framework of a project between the Government of Seychelles (GOS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and funded by a Global Environment Facility (GEF) grant.It was approved by Cabinetin 2017 for implementation of its two phases. Cabinet also approved the establishment of a Co-management Plan Implementation Committee that would address the concerns raised by stakeholders and fully involve them in the implementation of the plan. The Co-management Plan Implementation Committee was set up in January 2019 and the concerns of stakeholders addressed and resolved at its second meeting in March 2019. It is now gazetted for implementation.