Small in scale, big in value |09 March 2022

Delegates and guests in a souvenir photograph

The ‘Fédération des Pêcheurs-Artisans de L’Ocean Indien’ (FPAOI) in collaboration with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) officially launched the international year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture to coincide with the International Women’s Day yesterday.

Present for the ceremony were the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari; chairman of the FPAOI, Keith Andre; the principal secretary for Fisheries, Roy Clarisse; the chief executive of SFA, Nichol Elizabeth; delegations from Mauritius, Comores, Réunion and Seychelles comprising delegations from Praslin and La Digue also.

The FPAOI chose March 8 to valorise the importance of women in the fishing sector. Women have an active role in the industry such as logistics, conservation, distribution and even fishing.

The FPAOI stressed the importance of women in the industry, thus the celebration of women in the sector and all others.

The president of FPAOI said that they must re-group in the artisanal sector through exchange programmes for reinforcement, capacity and that leaders in the fishing industry participate more in decision-making processes.

Mr Andre said often small scale fishing is underestimated as an integral contribution especially in the context of food security.

The representative for Seychelles and fisherwoman from Praslin, Nancy Onginjo, outlined that historically artisanal finishing was the main source of food (nutrition) for most families in Seychelles and a good source of revenue.

She highlighted that today women have a major role in the industry whether in production or decision-making.

Minister Ferrari in his address said that it is their wish and mission to elevate all actors in the fishing industry.

He said he regrets that there are not enough jobs on offer for women in this particular line of work.

The minister thanked everyone involved in setting up and pushing for the movement (FPAOI) and hopes that their discussions and deliberations will be fruitful.

“This meeting today is to in fact solidify our relationship and to announce a closer collaboration in the future,” he said.

The minister added that sustainability is also another principle that guides them in this line of work, areas they are working on.

Minister Ferrari provided that currently taking a look at artisanal fishing we can already see the pressure on the fishermen to go farther and for longer periods.

He described these as signs that our resources are under pressure.

He pointed out that in the past, fishermen’s opinions had not been sought out and that now things have changed to engage them in all decisions.

The president of FPAOI said the aim of the activities they will be hosting throughout the year under the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture is to raise awareness on the importance and contribution of artisanal fishing. The reason Seychelles was chosen to host the launching is because the women in fisheries (value chain) is higher up than the other counterparts in the region.

Mr Andre noted that women in Seychelles who are more engaged directly with fishing are in Post Harvest Value Addition (PHVA).

He added that this is what FPAOI is aiming to show, the importance of women in the fishing sector.

Marla Simeon