On 17 May, a Regional Octopus Fishery Workshop was organized in Victoria, Seychelles, by the UNDP Mauritius and Seychelles, with the support of the UNDP Ecofish Mauritius project, in collaboration with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA). The event was attended by the Honorable Jean Francois Ferrari, Minister of Fisheries and Blue economy; Ms. Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representatives for Mauritius and Seychelles; Mr. Nichol Elizabeth, CEO of the SFA; and representatives of various fishers’ association. Two fisher representatives, one fisherman representative from Mauritius, Mr. Fortuno and one fisherwoman from Rodrigues, Mrs. Hall were also present. The aim of the workshop was to enhance South-South cooperation between Seychelles, Mauritius & Rodrigues through the sharing of knowledge and best practices about octopus fishing.

Building a sustainable Octopus Fishery Industry in Seychelles

In his opening remarks, Mr. Nichol Elizabeth, CEO of the SFA, stressed that there is currently a lack of data and information about octopus fishing in Seychelles. He explained that it was therefore crucial to “learn from neighboring countries who have successfully engaged in sustainable resource management of octopus fishery.”

During her speech, Ms. Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative, emphasized that this workshop “is setting the base for enhanced collaboration between the Republic of Mauritius and that of the Seychelles in the octopus fishery.” She also added that this was a great opportunity to enhance the government-fisher dialogue towards achieving a common goal of having a sustainable fishing industry.

The Honorable Jean-Francois Ferrari, Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy, highlighted the importance of positioning artisanal fishers at the forefront of this initiative, as they are key stakeholders and experts of the fishing industry. He explained that this exchange would enable them to learn directly from their peers in Mauritius and Rodrigues, and that the knowledge acquired would contribute to the sustainable development of the Seychelles’ fisheries industry.

Insightful and informative presentations were given by various stakeholders, including Mr. Jean Lindsay Azie, Project Manager for the UNDP ECOFISH project in Mauritius; Dr. Ameer Ebrahim, Head of Department of Fisheries, Resource Management & Technical Fisheries Coordination, SFA; Ms. Annie Vidot, Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) Fisheries Scientist; and Ms. Lindy Bastienne, National Coordinator, UNDP-GEF-SGP Seychelles. The event also featured testimonials from representatives of the grassroots artisanal fishing community of the Republic of Mauritius. Mr. Patrick Fortuno, fisherman representative from Mauritius and Mrs. Delila Hall, octopus fisherwoman from Rodrigues, were able to share their experiences, sustainable best practices, and key insights about octopus fishing.

This Regional Octopus Fishery Workshop marked the culmination of a series of consultations organized as part of a mission to Seychelles. The UNDP Mauritius ECOFISH team met with representatives of various fishers’ associations across Mahé, Praslin and La Digue. Meetings were also held with Seychelles authorities at the Seychelles Fishing Authority, the Ministry of Fisheries & Blue Economy, and the Seychelles Maritime Academy. These exchanges enabled the team to share technical and practical knowledge about the sustainable practices in the octopus fishing industry and provided space for future collaborations.