Local fisher concerned about survival of artisanal fishing |02 March 2018

Artisanal fishing is an old fishing technique in Seychelles which over the years has become an important traditional economic activity along the coasts of our islands. According to the‘Seychelles Hook and Line Fishermen’ website, Seychelles produces 450,000 tonnes of fish per year and about 15% of the active population are engaged in fishing and fishery-related activities; in 2011, fishing contributed one third of the country’s national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Artisanal fishing also contributes towards the availability of food for our country’s population and towards our culture.

Despite his love for the trade, Jean-François Aubrey Ernesta, a thirty-year-old local artisanal fisher is concerned about the survival of small local boat owners due to the struggles that they are currently facing in the fishing industry.

Jean-François says that he began practising traditional fishing when he was still a child. His passion for fishing led him to pursue his studies at the Maritime Training Centre (MTC), now the Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA), after-which he followed a 4-month navigation training programme in Japan. Following his return to Seychelles, he joined the SMA as a lecturer for a few years and today, he is a self-employed fisher, working full time alongside his father on their boat ‘La Belle Maria’.

One of the major issues, he recounts, is a lack of fish handlers and buyers in the country, especially at times like these during peak seasons. According to Jean-François, fish handlers claim that they cannot take on more fish as they are already full and others already have contracts with their own suppliers.

Upon their return from sea, this poses a major problem for fishers as they are unsure as to where to bring their catches. This is especially a threat to their businesses due to high running costs and expensive fishing equipment which they mostly have to source from abroad.

Jean-François believes that banks should reconsider who they are giving loans to within this particular industry; there are second buyers in the market with storage problems and so they are the ones who really need financial assistance to increase their capacities and create competition for the first buyers.

Although artisanal fishing is still being practised in the same way, the customs are not being preserved, says Jean-François.

He feels that there is a need to ensure that the fundamentals and knowledge of artisanal fishing are shared with young fishers entering the industry so that they have the right skills to start their fishing career and to help preserve the foundations of this type of fishing.

He adds that it is equally important to be passionate about this trade and have an interest in it before making the decision to join as this can also help ensure that the knowledge will continue to pass on.

He notes that the fishing industry costs millions of rupees and it is therefore imperative for the SMA to have lecturers that possess technical knowledge about artisanal fishery and to pass this on to their students.

Additionally, it is in his opinion that there is much emphasis on cargo/outside vessels/tankers at the SMA and too little on fishing which is actually the second largest pillar of our economy.

His advice is for SMA to speak to local fishers and to obtain their opinions on what values need to be incorporated into the lectures.

As a past lecturer, Jean-François additionally feels that the content being taught at the SMA is not at the level that he expects it to be and so there is a need for the education system to be restructured.

He explains that although there is a business acumen being taught at the academy, there is a mind-set in Seychelles that fishers are not educated people, forgetting that they are also business owners who need business plans.

The high maintenance costs, e.g. repairing of fibre glass and anti-fouling paints, of the fishing boats also pose a threat for artisanal fishers.

“Every day something breaks on the boat and the constant exposure to salt does not help,” says Jean-François. “Spare parts are expensive and sometimes there is a lack of parts like fishing hooks on the market which in turn affects our turnover. Since it is not ideal and not possible to keep asking the banks for loans, we need to keep money aside just to help in times of emergencies.”

A lack of provisions for fishers is also cited as a challenge by Jean-François who feels that there needs to be more social activities for those in the industry as well as more infrastructure set up at the port for the fishers, e.g. shops and supermarkets selling bait, LPG gas and ice.

He notes that there is also a need to improve the hygiene of the infrastructure that is currently in place at the Victoria ice plant.

Communication is the answer to resolving the problems that exist in the industry, according to Jean-François who strongly believes that the relevant authorities need to engage more with local fishers.

He feels that it is important for these authorities to obtain the fishers’ opinions and perspectives, even if it is through mediums like emails and questionnaires.

In parallel to this, he adds that there needs to be more research conducted on fish and making the market more profitable as well as more training programmes, e.g. first aid courses for fishers so that there is more of a collective effort to further develop the industry.

Reference: Website: Seychelles Hook and Line Fishermen