Commercial Fisheries - Artisanal Fishery

The Fisheries Act provides the overarching legal framework for commercial fisheries in Seychelles, irrespective of vessel flag, type of vessel, and whether large-scale/industrial, semi-industrial or artisanal. It provides the legal basis for several conditions of fishing licences, such as fees, duration, transferability etc.

Additional rules and regulations are spread across a variety of documents including the Fisheries Regulations, the Fisheries Comprehensive Plan, and the Mahé Plateau Trap and Line Fishery Co-management Plan (hereafter referred to as ‘the MP Plan’).

Yes. The local fisheries sector comprises of two distinct sub-sectors (artisanal and semi-industrial). The artisanal sub-sector, which is exclusively reserved and practiced by Seychellois fishermen and targets demersal and pelagic species. Other licensable activities include Lobster Fishery and use of nets for the harvesting of Crevice, Mackerel, and Sardines.

An artisanal fishing vessel licence costs SCR 500. The fishing activity licences needed to target mackerel, sardines, or crevice (Rock Lobster) with nets each cost an additional SCR 100.

All the above licences are valid for a period of one year.

No

The Seychelles Fisheries Authority (SFA)

The main gears used by the artisanal fishing fleet include hook and line, drop-lines, traps, and nets that are used to catch a diverse array of demersal and pelagic fish species. In terms of restricted gear, the use of large, pelagic nets (measuring over 50 m in length) in Seychelles’ territorial waters is banned (unless the fisher holds a valid license) under Section 10 (1) of the Fisheries Regulations.

The use of spearguns, explosives, poisons, and noxious substances is prohibited across all fisheries in Seychelles, including the artisanal fishery. The Fisheries Act also bans the use of unauthorised fish aggregating devices.

There are few seasonal restrictions on the artisanal fishery. However, artisanal fishers targeting mackerel and sardine with nets can only operate between 6am to 4pm each day (all year around).

The MP Plan, which took effect in January 2022, provides for additional restrictions on fishing in certain areas during periods of the year. This include no fisher (including artisanal fisher) being allowed to leave fish traps overnight on the spawning sites of Kordonnyen (rabbitfish) during their spawning season (September to April inclusive).

Similarly, for the three days prior to and three days after every full moon that occurs during the Kordonnyen spawning season, all fishing vessels (including artisanal fishing vessels) will be limited to using a maximum of 6 traps per day on listed Kordonnyen spawning sites.

The MP Plan imposes a maximum limit of 25 active traps per licenced commercial fishing vessel.

No.

The Fisheries regulations (1987) restricts certain shells including conch shells (regulation 11), green turtles (regulation 12), hawksbill turtle (regulation 13), and fishing for sharks using nets (regulation 16C).

In addition, the MP Plan requires all fishers (including recreational fishers) to return to the water any Bourzwa (emperor red snapper) or Zob gris (green jobfish) that measures less than 32 cm in fork length (from the tip of the jaw/snout to the centre of the fork in the tail).

The Fisheries Comprehensive Plan outlines several licence conditions for artisanal fishers, namely that they are only:

➢ Allowed to fish all species, excluding those prohibited from being fished under the Fisheries Act (2014) or those requiring special authorizations

➢ Allowed to fish in Seychelles’ waters

➢ The reporting requirement is as per the Fisheries Act and Regulations

➢ Only authorized to land their catches in Seychelles’ ports (or designated landing sites)

➢ VMS must be operational throughout whole trips for vessel to be entitled to fuel concessions

➢ Requirement to seek authorization prior to commencement of fishing trip (SI, Artisanal)

Artisanal fishers targeting mackerel or sardine with nets are subject to further licence conditions, namely that they are only:

➢ Allowed to use a nylon mackerel net/nylon sardine net

➢ The specification of the net must be as follows:

º For sardine fishing: a length of 210/9 ply x 20mm, a depth of 6 m, a mesh size of 2.0 cm.

º For mackerel fishing: a length of 168 m, a depth of 4.12 m, a mesh size of 4.0 cm.

➢ The allowed manner of operation is restricted for use by boats only that have a valid local fishing license.

Yes. While there are no specific conditions concerning catch reporting for the artisanal fishery, Article 7 (2) of the Fisheries Act makes it a requirement for anyone engaged in fishing and fishing-related activities to provide information regarding their activities (including catch, effort, fishing locations, landing and transhipment) to the SFA when requested.

Yes.