Seychelles' Fisheries Sector Policy and Strategy 2024-2029.

This Seychelles' Fisheries Sector Policy and Strategy provides for developing fisheries to its full potential whilst safeguarding the marine environment and resource base for sustainable ocean-based economy that contributes to the country’s socio-economic development and respects the natural environment. The overall goal of the Policy is to provide effective, efficient, transparent and accountable service delivery through a participatory approach, in order to ensure long-term sustainable fisheries and aquaculture management and conservation so that the sector continues to play a key role in the sustainable development of the country and the socio-economic well-being of the Seychellois nation. The Policy details the following objectives: managing fisheries resources through ecosystem-based approaches and ensure that policies, legislations and infrastructure development are aligned towards achieving sustainability, taking into account climate change, international commitments and global developments; stimulating economic growth and transformation of the economy to create decent work, and vibrant, equitable and sustainable livelihoods contributing towards food security for all; fostering optimum utilisation of fisheries and aquaculture resources to ensure ecological and socioeconomic sustainability; maximisation of net economic benefits from resource use in all waters under national jurisdiction and across all value chains, in order to reinvest the benefits nationally in the modernisation of the local fisheries and development of the aquaculture sector; promoting the use of rights-based management approaches supported by best available scientific research and industry practices across fisheries and aquaculture; promoting the principles of visibility, transparency, participation and inclusivity in decision-making processes; safeguarding the welfare of current and future generations, recognising gender equity and vulnerable groups, and protecting the country’s sovereignty and jurisdiction; increasing the development of human resources through effective capacity programmes and training certification for marine fisheries education; facilitating investment in fisheries and aquaculture sector; improving public awareness of the benefits and potential of fisheries and aquaculture for the country.
The Policy is structured around 10 policy objectives with related strategic actions and directives: 1) good governance and institutional strengthening; 2) sustainable management of fisheries and climate resilience; 3) infrastructure support and value chain development; 4) building efficiency in fisheries industry; 5) investment and economic growth; 6) Seychellois stakeholding in the industrial fisheries sector; 7) employment, training, resourcing and human resource development; 8) strengthening Monitoring, Control and Surveillance; 9) research and innovation in the fisheries sector and aquaculture; 10) sustainable development of aquaculture. Targeted actions include: addressing gender equity and equality in fisheries workplaces; ensuring that the promotion of international trade in fish products is coupled with effective fisheries management; undertaking an assessment of the vulnerability of the fisheries sector to climate change and adaptation measures that may be possible; evaluating the need for one single institution to control food safety standards; improving food safety certification systems to meet international standards; preparation of a fishery development plan for the further expansion of the semi-industrial sector in view of reducing foreign vessels' access to the Exclusive-Economic Zone; engaging Public-Private Partnership and other financing mechanisms to respond to demands for better services across all sectors of the industry; adoption of a national monitoring, control and surveillance strategy and National Plan of Action to prevent, deter and eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing; development of a risk assessment approach for patrol at sea as part of the Monitoring, Control and Surveillance strategy; development of memoranda of understanding to govern critical interagency relationships and integrate the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the broader context of Blue Economy.