Seychelles and Mauritius renegotiate ‘Sustainable Fisheries Agreement’ |05 February 2022

The meeting between the two delegations (Photo: Contributed)

The Mauritian Minister for the Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Sudheer Maudhoo, called on his Seychellois counterpart, Designated Minister Jean-François Ferrari yesterday morning.

Minister Maudhoo was accompanied by the permanent secretary for Fisheries, Raj Kishore Bunjun and legal personnel Geerish Topsy Sonoo.

Minister Maudhoo and his delegation are on a week-long working visit to the Seychelles to re-negotiate the current ‘Sustainable Fishing Agreement’ between the two island nations, which was signed on February 20, 2017 and will expire on February 20, 2022. Seychelles and Mauritius established this agreement in 2005.

The delegation from Seychelles for the discussions is headed by Minister Ferrari and comprise the principal secretary for Fisheries, Roy Clarisse, the chief executive of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), Nichol Elizabeth, consultant within the department of the Blue Economy, Phillipe Michaud and other technical staff from the ministry and SFA.

In a press statement after the courtesy call, Minister Ferrari said that even though the Seychelles’ industrial fishing is more developed than that of Mauritius, both island nations need to work together and have a strong voice when it comes to defending and increasing the value of the fisheries sector.

“We need to join forces and have a common approach to ensure that Seychelles and Mauritius is benefiting to the maximum with the exploitation of our marine resources,” said Minister Ferrari.

Minister Maudhoo on his part reiterated that countries in the region need to take a long term approach towards sustainable fishing.

“Seychelles and Mauritius should not regard each other as competitors in this industry because if the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us one thing it’s that it is better to work together towards a common goal and objective.”

The delegation from Mauritius will also meet with various stakeholders in the fisheries sector during their working visit, such as the SFA, Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) secretariat based in Seychelles, local representatives of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and the commissioners of the Joint Management Area (JMA) of the Mascarene Plateau.

Press release from the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy