On Monday July 18, on the occasion of Blue Economy Day (July 17), the French Embassy organized a public debate on the future of fishing in the Seychelles. Under the high patronage of the Designated Minister, Minister of Fisheries, Mr. Jean-François Ferrari, this meeting brought together researchers and experts from the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and the Institut de Recherche for Development (IRD).
Around fifty people from the fisheries administration, universities, fishing associations and professionals and ocean defense organizations took an active part in the discussions.
The debate was organized around three themes: (i) the state of resources and their regulation, (ii) the socio-economic and environmental viability of fisheries and (iii) the definition of public policies in the fisheries sector. . Three panelists specializing in fisheries in the Seychelles, Karine Rassool, Jude Bijoux and Francis Marsac, commented on the latest results of scientific work carried out in the Seychelles, in particular the latest FiTI report and the work of the SFA, before giving the floor to the public to a debate.
This meeting highlighted the importance of research, including socio-economic research, to help public policy decision-making. Political choices can thus be based on verified data. Research also serves all players in the fishing industry: Francis Marsac was able to recall how research on fish stocks and their movements could guide fishing strategies. Scientific data also helps to convince and promotes consensus between industry players who negotiate fishing regulations. The case of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) was cited as an example.
During the debates, Karine Rassool recalled that the functions of public policies were not only economic but also social, cultural and environmental. The policies defined are then a “reasoned combination” of multiple social, economic and increasingly environmental objectives with the urgent need to protect resources. These policies relied on various instruments, including subsidies. The effectiveness of the latter had to be evaluated with regard, there too, to criteria of economic profitability but also social and environmental.
The driving force behind the implementation of public fisheries policies remains the State and its administration, with sometimes the difficulty of reconciling the long time required for actions to protect stocks or the environment with the limited duration of the mandate of political actors. .
Jude Bijoux defended the idea of a real association, and not just consultation, of the players in the fisheries sector in the definition and implementation of public policies. This participatory approach requires a strengthening of the organization of fishermen and other economic actors in order to help them better contribute to the political decision-making process.
In his conclusions, the French Ambassador, as Minister Ferrari had done at the opening of the debate, recalledthe importance of scientific research. The Minister had insisted on the need for applied research, to clarify political choices.
Mr. Ferrari had defended more transparency in the governance of the fisheries sector, at national or international level, so that each of the decision-makers could participate in political debates with “knowledge of the facts”. The opening minister and the ambassador at the end of the debates encouraged the participants to dialogue frankly and without taboo on these subjects of national interest.
Source: Seychelles Nation
