Seychelles’ 1st Report to the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) Calendar year: 2019

Abstract

Seychelles, an island group in the western Indian Ocean, comprises of 115 islands spread over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.37 million km2. Despite having a land mass of just 455 km2, Seychelles is a large oceanic state, and a major player in the global tuna industry, with Port Victoria one of the busiest industrial fishing ports in the Western Indian Ocean. Seychelles is heavily reliant on its two main pillars of the economy: tourism and fisheries. In view that marine fisheries is such a key contributor to the social, economic and cultural fabric of Seychelles, the fisheries sector plays a central role in the nation’s developmental agenda, from successive National Development Plans to strategies for socio-economic growth. Seychelles has also prioritised the nationalising of the international agenda for sustainable fisheries, such as the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). There is a widely shared understanding of the need to achieve sustainably managed marine fisheries. But coastal states, like Seychelles, face a complex challenge: ensuring that fishing and fish trade contribute to income, employment, food and nutrition security, while also conserving marine biodiversity for future generations. While there are many aspects to achieve sustainable fisheries, the public availability of information is essential. Transparency does not only contribute to improved decision-making by public authorities, it can also highlight underlying factors of unsustainable fisheries. National authorities, private fishing companies, local fishing communities, investors, retailers and partner countries engaged in fishing agreements stand to benefit from increased transparency. Promoting these positive features of fisheries lies at the heart of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI).