‘Fishermen: The Heart of a Nation’ |26 January 2024

Seychelles Nation

•           Documentary highlights Seychelles’ sustainable fishing practices

A documentary titled ‘Fishermen: The Heart of a Nation,’ aiming to preserve and educate the fishers and general population about Seychelles’ sustainable fishing practices, was yesterday screened for the first time at the Docklands auditorium

The documentary has been produced by Frankie and Marie Rignace, and was screened in the presence of President Wavel Ramkalawan, ministers, industry stakeholders, and fishermen.

It was a project undertaken by the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy as partners. The production is funded by the Blue Bond proceeds administered by Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) under the Blue Grant Fund (BGF) 5 project.

The one-hour film featured in-depth interviews with local fishermen, who highlighted the challenges posed by technological advancements, including mechanised boats, and other factors that have led to unsustainable fishing practices, emphasising the urgency of addressing these issues to avert a looming crisis.

Furthermore, the movie delved into the rich history of fishing in Seychelles, tracing its origins, evolution into a fundamental livelihood, and the gradual decline of this traditional way of life due to increasing monopolisation.

In addition, most of the fishermen in the documentary noted that the Seychelles Fishing Authority was doing well to step in and impose regulations, however, the restrictions should not target the real fishermen, but rather fish retailers and exporters that supply upon the increasing demand. One of the key interviewees was the late Tony Mathiot, who the movie was dedicated to.

Speaking post-screening, the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari, noted the movie pointed out a lot of valuable topics such as whether the need for enforcement or education were paramount in order to deal with those not following the regulations. “I am one that believes in education,” he stated.

Minister Ferrari expressed his satisfaction that the actors, the fishermen, in the movie all reached a common consensus to review the regulations to protect the resources from the ocean.

“They are ready to sacrifice to get less money in southeast monsoon to profit more in northwest monsoon.”

Minister Ferrari had earlier in his speech post screening, announced that after the event, an educational campaign in schools will follow, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, SFA and the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy.

He explained that the project aims to raise awareness, educate and change attitudes in favour of more sustainable fishing practices. It also aims to share knowledge of artisanal fisheries with younger generation of fishers and future fishers through debates.

“The artisanal fisheries sector in the Seychelles is reserved for Seychellois fisheries only and is dominated almost entirely by traditional fishing methods and gears that have stood the test of time.”

He said the past generation of artisanal fishers are an important source of sustainable fishing knowledge and these have thus far not been properly documented in any media form for the purpose of comparison.

Minister Ferrari conveyed that inevitably, with technological advancements in fishing, the new generation of fishers are evolving their methods and slowly moving away from their ancestors’ methods of fishing.

Moreover, the introduction of new fishing gears and technology over the past 40 years means that more fish can be taken from the ocean with less effort and less time and this has unfortunately led to unsustainable fishing practises. “Also, due to the overall growth in size of the local population, tourism and fish export, there is inevitably increased pressure on the resource.”

Producer of the documentary, Frankie Rignace, stated that he has always been passionate about the subject of sustainable fisheries since the first conversation he had with fisheries expert Keith Andre, who informed him about the need to document the stories of old Seychellois fishermen and their traditional gears and practices.

“We have the privilege to interview some of those fishermen, who are an incredible source of knowledge and wisdom,” he stated. He cited Tony Mathiot, the late historian who passed away on Wednesday, as a huge inspiration.  

Sunny Esparon

Photos by Kurtrine Albert