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As Seychelles continues to suffer the impacts of climate change, most of the fisheries sector is feeling the effects, except artisanal fishing which continues to see a rise in the amount of fish caught, stated Jean-Francois Ferrari, Seychelles Minister for Fisheries and Blue Economy in the National Assembly. The continuous increase in the ocean’s temperature and the effects of El Nino and La Nina create an imbalance in the ecosystem.
Ferrari added that phenomenon, like El Nino and La Nina, have had huge impacts on the temperature of the sea and the movement of sea currents, which could have affected the distribution of pelagic fishes in the Indian Ocean. In 1998, El Nino had a huge impact on the Seychelles fisheries sector, which even forced the purse seiners to look to fish elsewhere.
Ferrari explained that the temperature rise has affected tuna fishing and since purse seiners target fish close to the surface, with the temperature rise, they had to move elsewhere, where the temperature is cooler. These vessels experienced a decline in tuna caught in the Indian Ocean region. It went down by 10 percent, from 403,000 tonnes to 373,000 tonnes. In the Seychelles’ waters, the decline has been even more substantial, from 113,566 tonnes to 69,000 tonnes, representing a decrease of about 40 percent. As a result, there is an impact on the country’s marine resources and it is also posing a threat to the livelihoods of fishermen and the people who depend on these resources, the minister explained.
Fisheries is the second top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean. However, the studies done on the local fisheries sector, show that artisanal fishermen have maintained and even increased their catch over the last 20 years. This is mainly in terms of fish traps, and the scientists at the SFA (Seychelles Fishing Authority) said that it is because many coral reefs affected by bleaching, have changed their state and transformed into one dominated by micro-algae, which favours herbivorous fish. These are those mostly caught using traps. The recent information shows that fish caught through this type of fishery has increased from about 2,500 tonnes in 2016 to 5,700 tonnes in 2023.
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The most significant consequence of the recent warmth has been the mass bleaching of coral globally. These key ocean nurseries turn white and die because the waters they live in grow too hot. They are a critical element in the ocean ecosystem, home to around a quarter of all marine species.
