Seychellois scientists on expedition survey in the Mascarene Plateau |05 May 2018

Four tremendously excited Seychellois scientists and an expatriate colleague working in Seychelles have left for a six-week expedition survey in the Mascarene Plateau.

The group left Port Victoria yesterday evening onboard the scientific Norwegian research vessel, Dr Fridjof Nansen.

The group comprises fisheries scientists Stephanie Hollanda, Rodney Melanie, Andrew Souffre from the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), marine scientist Gilberte Gendron from the National Parks Authority and expatriate environment lecturer, Jerome Harley from the University of Seychelles (UniSey).

They are joining delegates from Mauritius and guest scientist from the Russian Federation and will have the support of a Norwegian team crew led by cruise leader Odd Aksel Bergstad.

The Mascarene Plateau is an untapped, data pool area for its ecosystem, geomorphology, physical and chemical conditions and biodiversity. The main focus of the survey will be on the marine living organisms of which some of them are marine resources. The survey in the area was a joint demand by Seychelles and Mauritius who jointly manage the area. The expedition will expand over 400 thousand square kilometres and will end on June 3.

Taking part for the first time in such an expedition, Andrew Souffre, who has 10 years working experience with the SFA, said “the area with its physical aspect, hydrography and vast biodiversity brings the excitement for doing the survey and I hope that the information we gather will help the authorities in their decision-making on how best to manage the area in future”.

“What I would like to accomplish on this mission is to learn as much as I can. There are new equipment, with new methods for doing research and this will help me to acquire more knowledge which I can use in my work,” said Stephanie Hollanda, who has been with the SFA for five years.

A small sending-off ceremony for the group was organised on the research vessel berthed in Port Victoria yesterday morning following which guests had the opportunity to tour the ship.

Guests present for the occasion included Vice-President Vincent Meriton who is also responsible for the blue economy department, Norwegian ambassador to Seychelles, Victor Ronneberg, principal secretaries, chief executives, representatives of government agencies among other stakeholders.

Vice-President Meriton welcomed the vessel and its crew to Seychelles and echoed the appreciation of the Seychelles government to the Norwegian government for such help. With an exclusive economic zone of 1.4 million square kilometres, Vice-President Meriton said “the prosperity of Seychelles has and will even more so continue to depend on the sustainability and wise development of our ocean”.

“This is why we have great expectation on our blue economy, what the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) refers to as the blue growth,” he noted and thanked the Norwegian government and its Institute of Marine Research (IMR) and the FAO for making the expedition possible.

With the need to enhance knowledge and capacity building on the bio-diversity and on the unknown economic potential of this part of the ocean, Vice-President Meriton added that the expedition will also contribute towards addressing the multiple impact of human activity on the ocean in order to better manage its potential for the benefit of future generation, thus securing better food security.   

FAO’s Nansen programme, in collaboration with the Norwegian government, is to strengthen regional and country specific efforts to reduce poverty, create conditions for achieving food security through the development of ecosystem approached to sustainable fisheries management.

Its correspondent, Antoine Marie-Moustache, said “the research will allow a better understanding of the impacts of climate change and other external factors, such as pollution on the aquatic ecosystems”.

For his part, Norwegian Ambassador Victor Ronneberg said apart from having binding relations with Seychelles in different areas, Norway and Seychelles are tasked to work together to solve regional and global challenges and the expedition proves the fact.

Among the three Nansen research vessels, the new, 74.50m long Dr Fridjof Nansen boasts modern and hi-tech equipment and she was donated to the FAO by the government of the Kingdom of Norway on March 24, 2017. One interesting feature is that she can stabilise itself in one position without being moved by the wind or current.