Seychelles’ Report to the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI)
Seychelles’ fisheries sector is crucial to the country’s economic, social, and cultural fabric, providing livelihoods and fostering community cohesion. On the global stage, the country’s expansive exclusive economic zone, measuring 1.37 million km2, holds significant influence in the global tuna industry. Port Victoria, for instance, is one of the busiest industrial fishing ports in the Western Indian Ocean and serves as a vital transshipment and landing hub in the region.
Like many coastal states, Seychelles grapples with balancing the economic benefits of fishing and fish trade with the imperative of conserving marine resources. Achieving sustainable fisheries necessitates transparency, as it not only enhances decision-making by public authorities but also exposes underlying issues in unsustainable practices.
The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) aims to promote transparency within the industry, benefiting a range of stakeholders, including national authorities, private fishing companies, local communities, and partner countries involved in fishing agreements. By strengthening multi-stakeholder partnerships, the initiative promotes informed public debates on managing the fisheries sector best, advancing the cause of sustainable fisheries management.
Now on its third iteration, the 2021 FiTI report reflects the mainstreaming of transparency in the sector, which means that rather than filling information gaps, the focus has shifted towards updating existing data within the report.
A review of the government’s published fisheries information revealed that public access to new information relating to the sector, such as inventory of fisheries conservation projects and stock assessment reports, continues to increase, especially via government websites. Meanwhile, for inquiring about beneficial ownership of businesses, including those involved in the fisheries sector, the government only makes them available upon request to competent authorities. However, the Seychelles Fishing Authority is not on the list of competent authorities and is still updating application forms to capture beneficial ownership information.
Finally, significant gaps persist in publishing critical fisheries data required by the FiTI Standard, either absent from government websites or inadequately represented in the FiTI Report itself. For instance, fishing agreements between Seychelles and some of its partner countries remain hidden behind confidentiality clauses and are still being renegotiated to remove them.
Achieving sustainable fisheries management in Seychelles requires a delicate balance between economic interests and environmental conservation, underscored by the necessity of transparency in decision-making processes. While progress has been made in increasing public access to fisheries information, significant gaps still exist, highlighting the need for greater transparency and accountability in managing Seychelles’ fisheries resources. This report is crucial in advancing this cause and facilitating informed debates and partnerships to achieve long-term sustainability in the fisheries sector.
