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Four fisheries ministers of Indian Ocean countries and representatives of fishing companies in those countries met in Seychelles recently to exchange ideas for the upcoming Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) meeting. The participating countries were Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius.
Four fisheries ministers of Indian Ocean countries and representatives of fishing companies in those countries met in Seychelles recently to exchange ideas for the upcoming Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) meeting. The participating countries were Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, and Mauritius. They share the same fishing method in the tuna fishing industry – purse seining. The idea behind the meeting was to ensure the fish stocks are sustainable and prevent other countries in indulging in indiscriminate fishing.
The 26th session of IOTC will be held in Seychelles, from May 16 – 20. Seychelles’ fisheries minister Jean Francois Ferrari said that participants wanted to see every member country in the Indian Ocean making the same or proportionate effort. But such things are not happening on the ground. If one country reduces the catch, the countries in the Indian Ocean should reciprocate by doing so proportionately. Purse seining fishing is one of the most regulated, supervised, and reported types of fisheries at the moment. However, there are countries such as Oman, Pakistan, and Iran that do not report their catch.
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Oman alone has doubled the amount of fish it has caught in just one year, whereas the Indian Ocean countries reduced our catch. In her presentation, the director of Europêche Tuna Group, Anne-France Mattlet, said purse seiners in the Indian Ocean flying local and EU flags have made an effort since 2014 with a reduction of 22 percent in catches. This has been done to help improve the stock and be able to fish in the long term.
During the same time, the fisheries of the IOTC have increased by 6 percent. It is impossible in these conditions to succeed in improving the stock situation If they continued in this direction.
The fleets are owned by mainly French and Spanish-owned companies. The Europêche Tuna Group brings together tuna freezer purse-seine organisations in Europe such as OPAGAC-AGAC, ORTHONGEL, and ANABAC. Mattlet was also speaking on behalf of ANABAC, a Spanish fishing organisation.
