Fisheries in the Seychelles and Fisheries Agreements with the Eu
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DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES POLICY DEPARTMENT DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIESB POLICY DEPARTMENT AgricultureAgriculture and Rural and Development Rural Development STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES B CultureCulture and Education and Education Role The Policy Departments are research units that provide specialised advice Fisheries to committees, inter-parliamentary delegations and other parliamentary bodies. Fisheries RegionalRegional Development Development Policy Areas TransportTransport and andTourism Tourism Agriculture and Rural Development Culture and Education Fisheries Regional Development Transport and Tourism Documents Visit the European Parliament website: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies PHOTO CREDIT: iStock International Inc., Photodisk, Phovoir DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES OF THE UNION POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES FISHERIES FISHERIES IN THE SEYCHELLES AND FISHERIES AGREEMENTS WITH THE EU NOTE This document was requested by the European Parliament’s Committee on Fisheries. AUTHOR Jesús Iborra Martín Policy Department on Structural and Cohesion Policies European Parliament E-mail: [email protected] EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Virginija Kelmelyté LANGUAGE VERSIONS Original: ES. Translations: DE, EN, FR, IT. ABOUT THE PUBLISHER To contact the Policy Department or to subscribe to its monthly newsletter, please write to: [email protected] Manuscript completed in September 2011. Brussels, © European Parliament, 2011 This document is available on the Internet at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/studies DISCLAIMER The opinions expressed in this document are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the European Parliament. Reproduction and translation for non-commercial purposes are authorised, provided the source is acknowledged and the publisher is given prior notice and sent a copy. DIRECTORATE-GENERAL FOR INTERNAL POLICIES OF THE UNION POLICY DEPARTMENT B: STRUCTURAL AND COHESION POLICIES FISHERIES FISHERIES IN THE SEYCHELLES AND FISHERIES AGREEMENTS WITH THE EU NOTE Content: Information note on the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the Seychelles for the Delegation of the Committee on Fisheries from 1 to 5 November 2011. The note describes fisheries in the Seychelles and related activities. It also describes the development of the fisheries agreements concluded between the Seychelles and the European Union. IP/B/PECH/NT/2011_04 September 2011 PE 460.060 EN Fisheries in the Seychelles and Fisheries Agreements with the EU TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS 5 INDEX OF TABLES 7 INDEX OF GRAPHS 7 INDEX OF MAPS 8 OVERVIEW 9 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 13 1.1. Geography 13 1.2. Population 16 1.3. Political and administrative structure 16 1.4. Economy 18 2. OCEANOGRAPHY 21 3. FISHERY RESOURCES AND THEIR EXPLOITATION 23 4. SEYCHELLES FISHERIES SECTOR 31 4.1. Fishing activity in the Seychelles 32 4.2. Prospects for the Seychelles fisheries sector 34 4.3. Fisheries management in the Seychelles 36 4.4. Fish processing industry 40 4.5. Fish marketing and distribution 42 4.6. Aquaculture 43 5. SEYCHELLES FISHERIES AGREEMENTS 45 5.1. Fisheries Agreements between the Seychelles and Third Countries 47 5.2. EU-Seychelles Fisheries Agreements 47 PIRACY IN THE INDIAN OCEAN 53 3 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies 4 Fisheries in the Seychelles and Fisheries Agreements with the EU LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ACP Africa, Caribbean, Pacific AfDB African Development Bank BIOT British Indian Ocean Territory WB World Bank IOTC Indian Ocean Tuna Commission EC European Communities ICCAT International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas CNROP Centre National de Recherche Océanographique et des Pêches IOC Indian Ocean Commission COMESA Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa DBS Development Bank of the Seychelles FAD Fish Aggregating Device FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FBOA Fishing Boat Owner’s Association EDF European Development Fund GEF Global Environment Facility IMF International Monetary Fund IEO Instituto Español de Oceanografía IFREMER Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer IUU Illegal, unreported and unregulated fisheries IRD Institut pour la Recherche et le Développement IOT Indian Ocean Tuna Ltd IOTC Indian Ocean Tuna Commission IPA Investment Promotion Act MTC Maritime Training Centre GDP Gross Domestic Product 5 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies PNG Papua New Guinea SADC Southern African Development Community SFA Seychelles Fishing Authority SIBA Seychelles International Business Authority VMS Vessel Monitoring System SPA Seychelles Port Authority SWIOFP Southwest Indian Ocean Fisheries Project TAC Total Allowable Catch GRT Gross Registered Tonnes IUCN International Union for Conservation of Nature WWF World Wildlife Fund YES Youth Enterprise Scheme EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone 6 Fisheries in the Seychelles and Fisheries Agreements with the EU INDEX OF TABLES Table 1: Island groups in the Seychelles 15 Table 2: Protected Areas 37 Table 3: Main elements of the EU-Seychelles agreements 51 Table 4: Main hijacks of fishing vessels by Somali pirates 55 INDEX OF GRAPHS Graph 1: Seychelles rupee exchange rate against the euro and US dollar 20 Graph 2: Productivity of Seychelles waters 22 Graph 3: Total catch in Seychelles waters 25 Graph 4: Catch by species. 3-year moving averages 26 Graph 5: Catch by type of gear. 3-year moving averages 28 7 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies INDEX OF MAPS Map 1: Geography of the Seychelles 13 Map 2: Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone 14 Map 3: Bathymetry of the Indian Ocean 21 Map 4: Purse seine tuna catch in the Indian Ocean 27 Map 5: Protected areas in the Seychelles 38 Map 6: Area covered by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) 40 Map 7: Somali pirate attacks 2005-2010 54 8 Fisheries in the Seychelles and Fisheries Agreements with the EU OVERVIEW The Republic of Seychelles is a group of around 115 islands situated in the Indian Ocean approximately 1 500 kilometres to the north-east of Madagascar and 1 600 kilometres to the east of Kenya. In July 2011 the Republic of Seychelles had a population of 89 188. Around 80% of the population live on the island of Mahé. Despite this concentration, only around 55% of the population live in urban areas. Victoria is the capital and the largest city in the archipelago. It is on the island of Mahé and has a population of around 30 000. Its port is the main tuna landing and trans-shipment point in the region. The human development index, life expectancy and literacy rates of the Seychelles are all high, as a result of public investment in social protection, health and education. The Seychelles gained their independence from the United Kingdom in 1976, but remain a member Republic of the Commonwealth of Nations. Since independence, the Republic has been governed by the People’s Party (Parti Lepep, known as the Seychelles People’s Progressive Front until 2009). The Seychelles face the limitations and constraints typical of a small island nation with few inhabitants, which is remote from the mainland and has limited natural resources. Its economy is heavily dependent on a small number of economic sectors, tourism and fishing- related activities. This dependence makes it extremely vulnerable not only to international crises, but also to the political or commercial decisions of its partners, environmental damage and the consequences of climate change. In the last 10 years, the Seychelles have faced serious economic problems, which have led to the adoption of severe restrictions on public spending and privatisations. FISHERY RESOURCES AND THEIR EXPLOITATION Plankton productivity in the Indian Ocean is low, due to high temperatures. There are exceptions along the northern edges and at some other isolated points. As a result, marine life is relatively scarce. Fishing is limited to subsistence levels, apart from highly migratory species whose variable presence depends, among other factors, on the abundance of small pelagic species, which are their prey. Commercial fishing in the Indian Ocean is focused on a small number of highly migratory species, mainly tunas. These are caught by fleets flying around a dozen different flags. There are Asian vessels (from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines and China), vessels that are foreign owned but Seychelles-registered, vessels from EU Member States, and vessels that fly flags of convenience. In general they use longlines and purse seines. The fisheries sector in Seychelles waters consists of the following: the small-scale fleet, which uses small motorised vessels that fish for demersal and semi-pelagic species in the local area; the semi-industrial fleet, which uses longliners that are between 14 and 22 metres in length and that catch large pelagic species (mainly tuna and swordfish); and the industrial fleet, which uses large purse seiners and longliners that are generally foreign owned and concentrate on fishing for tunas (skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna). 9 Policy Department B: Structural and Cohesion Policies Currently, 69% of the catch is taken using purse seines, 17% with longlines and 11% using pole-lines. As highly migratory species, the movements of the tunas tend to vary considerably. As a result, their catch in a given area is always subject to large variations. In addition,