Seychelles tuna bulletin year 2002 and first semester 2003

Abstract

Data used to generate the tables and figures presented here are based on daily catch and effort forms (logbooks) returned from fishing vessels that are licensed to fish in the Seychelles EEZ and from data collected via the tuna sampling programme conducted during transhipment in port Victoria. Sometimes there is a delay in these being received at SFA, especially during and just after the second quarter of the year when most vessels are fishing in the Mozambique Channel. Readers should note that many of the figures presented here 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: The total purse seine tuna catch for the Western Indian Ocean in 2002 was 379,242 Mt. This was achieved by an average of 47 vessels licensed per month. The total effort reported for the purse seine tuna fleet during 2002 was 13,131 days, with a mean catch rate of 28.88 Mt/day. The catch reported in 2002 is the highest annual catch reported so far. The purse seine tuna catch reported for the Western Indian, Ocean during the first semester of 2003 was 176,337 Mt. This catch was achieved by an average of 47 vessels licensed per month. The total effort reported for the purse seine tuna fleet was 5,684 days, thus giving a mean catch rate of 31.05 Mt/day. For the same period the previous year, the total catch reported was 147,668 Mt, with an average catch rate of 23.11 Mt/day. This shows an increase of 19% (28,669 Mt) in the total catch reported during the first semester of 2003.