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‘Sustainable Fisheries Agreement’ between Seychelles and the Taiwan Deep Sea Tuna Longline Boat Owners and Exporters Association signed late last year, came into effect on January 1, 2023. According to the agreement, a mechanism for the deployment of human observers and electronic observation schemes onto Taiwanese vessels licensed to fish in Seychelles waters will soon be finalised.
‘Sustainable Fisheries Agreement’ between Seychelles and the Taiwan Deep Sea Tuna Longline Boat Owners and Exporters Association signed late last year, came into effect on January 1, 2023. According to the agreement, a mechanism for the deployment of human observers and electronic observation schemes onto Taiwanese vessels licensed to fish in Seychelles waters will soon be finalised. Having observers onboard longliner vessels is in accordance with the relevant Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) resolutions with regard to the Scientific Observer Programme and relevant Seychelles’ laws and regulations.
Longlining fisheries – transshipments at sea – is of concern for different bodies as the activity is commonly marred with loopholes allowing under-declaring of the catch. Seychelles Fisheries principal secretary Roy Clarisse stated that there is a set of procedures that need to be followed when carrying out transshipments at sea. Transshipments at sea are not carried out without oversight – all IOTC member countries which have vessels that participate in transshipments at sea need to inform IOTC in advance. It is IOTC that monitors these activities at sea rather than any country. Industrial longliners that operate in other areas of the Indian Ocean are allowed to perform transshipments at sea, however, countries of the Indian Ocean Commission – Seychelles, Mauritius, Madagascar, and Comoros – signed an agreement in 2017 that does not authorise transshipments in their respective waters.
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https://trendsnafrica.com/new-fishing-facility-in-seychelles-opened/
According to the Seychelles Fisheries principal secretary, Seychelles is working on the development of a fish processing zone on Ile du Port, and there are tremendous opportunities to invest in fish processing at 360 degrees. When onshore facilities become operational there is a clause that makes provision for these processors to acquire fish from the transshipment vessels.
