Eco-school leaders enhance their knowledge of sustainable fisheries |03 November 2021
The eco-school leaders listening to a presentation during the workshop (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Education held a two-hour workshop last week targeting eco-school leaders.
The aim was to enhance their knowledge of sustainable fisheries and the new measures of the first co-management plan for the Mahé Plateau trap and line fishery. This is to get them to later on disseminate the information learned to their students, among whom some could be future fishermen, to make them aware of what is going on in fisheries, especially around the Mahé plateau, and the measures to be adopted to help rejuvenate our decreasing fish stock.
The workshop for all eco-school leaders in public and private primary and secondary learning institutions in the country was held at the Seychelles Institute for Teacher Education (Site).
Participants from Praslin and La Digue were among some other participants from Mahé who followed the session online.
The workshop was facilitated by Mellissa Joseph (fisheries officer) and Elisa Socrate (assistant manager) from the fisheries resource management department, SFA.
The eco-school leaders were presented with the concept of sustainable fisheries, the background of the co-management plan for the Mahé Plateau trap and line fishery and measures and regulations in place. The workshop ended with simple games that the eco-school leaders can replicate in their schools to raise the awareness of students on sustainable fisheries and certain measures of the eco-management plan that will touch them directly.
The Mahé plateau supports an artisanal fishery that is critically important for food security and economic development of our nation. The main species targeted by the hand line fishery are bourzwa, bordmar (snappers), vyey (groupers) and kaptenn rouz, laskar, baksou (emperors), whereas the trap fishery targets kordonnyen (rabbit fish), kakatwa (parrot fish) and rouze (goat fish).
For years fishers have raised concerns over decreasing catch rates and sizes of target species. Recent scientific studies have produced multiple lines of evidence that overfishing of some of the major plateau target species is likely to be occurring and that management intervention is urgently needed.
In her opening presentation, Ms Joseph said that it is of vital importance that the children get to learn sustainable fisheries and the management of its stock.
She added that children need to grasp the concept that resources are finite and that the things we grow, and animals we eat, need time to replenish.
“If we consume more than we can grow or produce or we do not allow wild populations to replenish, then this isn’t sustainable in the long term,” she said in her presentation.
The workshop started with a video entitled ‘Restoring our oceans - How fishers can turn the tide of over fishing’, based on what overfishing has done to certain species of fish and what can be done to help rejuvenate the decreasing fish stock to enhance sustainability.
Some of the eco-school leaders who talked to Seychelles NATION said the workshop was fruitful as they got to know the country’s plan for sustainable fishing and also new information regarding fish species that are being overfished and sometimes their little ones are being sold and bought by consumers without being aware that they should have been left to grow bigger to further reproduce. They also noted that the information gathered will get the children to sentitise their parents on the sustainability of our natural resources.
“With fishermen having to go further out at sea to catch fish and at times looking at the smallest in size of some of the fish species being sold on the market, our young generation need to be told and to be made to understand the effect of overfishing and the importance of sustaining our fish stock so that they don’t grow up to repeat the same mistake made by the current generation,” said Jude Bouzin, eco-school leader at the Anse Royale secondary school.
Ms Joseph later said that they targeted the eco-school leaders as the first part of their education and awareness campaign as they have connections with environment groups involving children and the possibility for them to share information with other teachers to include in lesson plans.
She added that the education and awareness campaign will also target other groups in the society.
The Seychelles’ first Mahé Plateau Trap and Line fishery Co-Management Plan was launched on October1, 2021 at Eden Blue Hotel by the Designated Minister and Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari. It will be implemented as from January 2022.
Patrick Joubert
