Seychelles tuna bulletin: year 2000

Abstract

Data used to generate the tables and figures presented here are based on daily catch and effort forms (logbooks) returned from fishing vessels which are licensed to fish in the Seychelles EEZ. Sometimes there is a delay in these being received at SPA, especially during and just after the second quarter of the year when most vessels are fishing in the Mozambique Channel. Readers should be aware that many of the figures presented here (especially the most recent) are subject to revision (usually upwards) as more data become available. The date upon which the SFA database was closed prior to the generation of the statistical tables is shown at the head of each table. Purse seiners PRINCIPAL POINTS: A total catch of 330,340 Mt was reported in the Indian Ocean by Purse seiners licensed in Seychelles during the year 2000. This catch was the result of an average of 49 vessels licensed per month. The highest catch so far was recorded in 1999 when some 331,424 Mt of tuna were caught. The average catch rate reported during the year was 24.71 Mt/day. This is now the highest CPUE recorded. The last record was in 1999 when 23.66 Mt were caught per fishing day. The species composition of the total catch for the year 1999 and 2000. Skipjack continued to be the dominent species for the last two years. Species 1999 % 2000 % Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) 87,659 27 118,738 36 Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelatnis) 213,182 64 191,912 58 Others (Thunnus obesus & Thunnus alalunga) 30,583 9 19,690 6 Total 331,424 330,340

Some 13,371 fishing days were recorded in the year 2000 compared to 14,007 days in 1999. The fishing days recorded in 2000 were 636 days (5%) below that recorded for 1999. Readers should be well aware that the catch compositions given here are NOT based on scientific sampling but on the assessment of the fishermen who write the daily catch and effort reports and who decide into which group fish should be placed. They may be biased. It should be noted that the figures in Table 3 (Purse seiner transhipment statistics by harbour of transshipment) represent the transshipments of vessels whose trips ENDED in the month indicated and NOT the actual month of physical transhipment of the catch. Transhipment through Victoria for the whole of the year is 269,673 Mt, representing 82% of the total catch. In 1999, 257,447 Mt rep¬resenting 78% of the total catch was transhipped in Port Victoria. Within the first semester of the year 2000, transhipments in Port Victoria totaled 96,846 Mt, representing (29% of the total yearly catch), compared to the second semester where 172,827 Mt (52% of the total yearly catch) was transhipped. For the first semester 1999, 87,924 MT (26% of the total yearly catch) was transhipped, compared to the second semester where 169,523 MT (51% of the total yearly catch). During the first semester of the year purse seine fishing concentrated more in the South West of Seychelles or in Mozambique canal. During the second semester fishing concentrated more in the North Western part of the Seychelles and in the Somali Basin where fishing is usually good in the third and fourth quarter of the year. Some fishing also took place in the South East of Seychelles around the chagos archipelago (Maps 3 - 4).