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FAQ's
Commercial Fisheries - The Large-Scale/Industrial Sector
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Do I need a licence to engage in the industrial longline fishery?
Yes. All vessels wishing to engage in the industrial longline fishery must hold a valid vessel licence. This applies to both Seychelles-flagged and foreign-flagged vessels.
A Seychelles-flagged industrial longliner must apply for a ‘Seychelles-flagged industrial longline fishing vessel licence’.
A foreign-flagged industrial longliner must apply for a ‘foreign-flagged industrial longline fishing vessel licence.’
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How much do these licences cost?
A ‘Seychelles-flagged industrial longline fishing vessel licence’ costs USD 30,000 (valid for one year) or USD 25,000 (valid for six months).
A ‘foreign-flagged industrial longline fishing vessel licence’ also costs USD 33,000 (valid for one year)
The foreign-flagged industrial longline fishing vessel licences negotiated under the EU-Seychelles Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) vessel owners pay EURO 7,650.
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How long is a license valid?
The duration of a license is generally one year, though foreign-flagged industrial longliners can also apply for a six-month license (see above question).
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Can I transfer my licence to someone else?
No, none of the licences for the industrial longline fishery are transferable.
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Which authority is responsible for issuing licences?
The Seychelles Fisheries Authority (SFA)
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What gear can I use to fish in the industrial longline fishery?
Industrial longline vessels are licenced to fish only using drifting longlines, which consist of a mainline kept near the surface or at a certain depth by means of regularly spaced floats and with relatively long snoods with baited hooks, evenly spaced on the mainline.
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Are there any restrictions regarding fishing seasons or can I go fishing all year round?
There are no restrictions preventing industrial longline vessels from fishing during certain seasons of the year.
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Are there any limits on how many fish an industrial longline vessel can catch?
The industrial longline fishery is dominated by the Southeast Asian fleets which are focused mainly on catching tuna and tuna-like species for overseas sashimi markets. Management of these species falls under the purview of the relevant regional fisheries management organisation, namely the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). All industrial longline vessels fishing in Seychelles’ waters must therefore respect restrictions (including catch limits) on targeted species as outlined in the IOTC conservation and management measures.
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Are there any additional restrictions on targeted species?
Yes. A yellowfin tuna quota of 3000 tons (from the total of 33,211 tons allocated to the Seychelles) was allocated to the entire Seychelles-flagged industrial longline fleet for 2022.
Similar to the purse seine fleet, there are additional applicable measures for Threatened and Endangered and Vulnerable species such as some shark species, marine turtles, cetaceans, whales, rays and billfishes.
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Are there any other licence conditions I should be aware of?
Yes. Section 11 (6) of the Fisheries Act outlines several licence conditions that apply to foreign fishing vessels, including industrial longliners.
The vessel for which an industrial longline fishing licence is being sought must notify the SFA of the name and address of its local agent. The vessel must have no record of non-compliance with international fisheries conservation and management measures.
In addition, the vessel must not be included in any list of vessels having engaged in, or supported, illegal, unreported, or unregulated fishing established by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), or any other appropriate regional or international organization. Equally, the vessel must be recorded on a list of authorized fishing vessels (either by a regional fisheries management organization or any other list recognized by the SFA).
The vessel must also have finalized all payments relating to the license it is seeking, as well as settle any outstanding financial obligations regarding previous fishing activities in Seychelles’ waters.
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Do I have to inform someone about my catches?
Yes. Reporting is required to the SFA MCS and statistics sections respectively.
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Can I sell my catches caught scientific fishing?
Not stipulated if you can or cannot. Allowing the sale of catches from scientific fishing might be considered if there is a strong rationale.
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Can Seychelles-flagged industrial longliners fish outside of Seychelles’ waters?
Seychelles-flagged industrial longliners can fish outside of Seychelles’ waters (i.e., in the waters of a third country or on the High Seas). However, they must first apply to the SFA and be issued a Certificate of Authorization (CoA).
A CoA costs SCR 500 for Seychelles-flagged industrial longliners that are owned by Seychellois, while a CoA costs USD 6,000 for Seychelles-flagged purse seines that are owned by non-Seychellois.
<b<Access to and use of traditional sites, for landing fish, for temporary fish camps, and for other traditional uses
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Can I operate a temporary fish camp?
No. The Fisheries Act (2014) does not make any provisions for granting of permits and authorisations for the setting up and operation of temporary fish camps
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Can I access and use traditional and cultural use sites?
There are no ‘traditional sites’ in Seychelles related to fisheries, apart from the known fishing ports and landing sites in the districts. As a result, there are no regulations designed to protect access to these sites. As many fishing vessels are accessed from the beaches, the law guarantees free access to all of Seychelles’ beach and, where the beach is enclosed by private property, for the owner to provide reasonable access to the beach.