Mahé Plateau trap and line fishery co-management plan. [Fisheries Act, 2014 (Act 20 of 2014) Pursuant to section 5(7) of the Fisheries Act, the Minister responsible for fisheries hereby publish...]
The Mahé Plateau supports a demersal artisanal fishery that is critically important in providing
local food security and economic development in Seychelles. The main species targeted by the
hand line fishery are snappers, groupers and emperors whereas the trap fishery targets
rabbitfish, parrotfish and emperors. However, over recent years fishers have raised concerns
over decreasing catch rates and sizes of target species, and this has been supported by risk and
stock assessments. These assessment results demonstrated multiple lines of evidence that
overfishing on some of the major plateau fishery species is likely to be occurring and that
management intervention is an urgent need. Sustainable resource management is also
consistent with the vision of the Seychelles Government.
Consistent with world's best practice the development of this plan followed principles of the
Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM), also a requirement of the Seychelles
Government's Fisheries Act 2014. The development of the plan also heavily involved
stakeholder consultation and input.
This plan document presents the elements of the management plan for the Mahé plateau
artisanal trap and line fishery. These elements are: 1. Objectives of the management plan, 2.
Issues facing the fishery, 3. How the plan will be implemented, 4. Management strategies and
regulations, 5. The Performance Measurement System, 6. Monitoring, Control and
Surveillance (details included in a separate plan document), and 7. a plan review process.
Central to the plan are management strategies and regulations that were developed to address
fishery issues identified and prioritized by stakeholders, and evolved based on stakeholder
feedback during the consultation process. The plan describes the intent of each management
strategy/regulation and their rationale, and highlights aspects relevant to their successful
implementation. Itwill be implemented in two phases over 24 months to ensure key measures
can be introduced immediately, while other measures can be given the requisite time for their
comprehensive development prior to implementation.
The development of this fisheries management plan was initiated in 2007 and significantly
developed in 2015 under the framework of a project between the Government of Seychelles
(GOS) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and funded by a Global
Environment Facility (GEF) grant.It was approved by Cabinetin 2017 for implementation of its
two phases. Cabinet also approved the establishment of a Co-management Plan
Implementation Committee that would address the concerns raised by stakeholders and fully
involve them in the implementation of the plan. The Co-management Plan Implementation
Committee was set up in January 2019 and the concerns of stakeholders addressed and resolved
at its second meeting in March 2019. It is now gazetted for implementation.
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