The Seychelles has strengthened its connections with India to help it increase revenues from landed tuna catch and strengthen post-harvest management procedures as the island nation strives to further develop its seafood industry.
Seychelles government representatives, who visited India in late August, said their country is committed to deepening its fisheries and aquaculture partnership with India, particularly in expanding public and private sector investments in tuna processing and product diversification.
Seychelles Minister for Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy Wallace Cosgrow, who headed up the delegation, said in addition to tuna value chain opportunities, he is interested in “opportunities relating to high-value products derived from fish-processing residues and seaweed, fishing vessel design and standards, and onboard training,” explaining that these opportunities “are of particular relevance to Seychelles as the country continues to explore ways of increasing the value derived from its fisheries resources while strengthening environmental sustainability and resource efficiency.”
Moreover, Seychelles is seeking collaboration with India in developing and using fisheries data for monitoring, control, and surveillance purposes, harnessing the potential of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and embracing industry management approaches such as intensive and precision aquaculture, recirculating aquaculture systems, and biofloc technology.
“The Seychelles delegation is particularly grateful for the openness with which its members were received and for the valuable knowledge, expertise, opportunities for cooperation, and insights shared throughout the program,” the Seychelles Ministry of Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy said in a release. “The visit has further strengthened the longstanding bonds of friendship and cooperation between Seychelles and India and provided a strong foundation for continued collaboration in fisheries, agriculture, research, innovation, and the wider blue economy.
The push for closer ties with India comes after Seychelles signed a new sustainable fisheries partnership agreement with the E.U., granting vessels of the bloc access to its waters for a period of four years. E.U. vessels will be able to fish for 55,000 tons of tuna and other migratory species per year in exchange for EUR 23 million (USD 26.6 million), which includes EUR 3 million (USD 3.45 million) toward the sustainable fisheries sector in the Seychelles.
“The Republic of Seychelles is a key partner of the E.U. in the Indian Ocean and a strategic actor in the global tuna industry. We look forward to continue our dialogue on sustainable fisheries management and to further strengthen our mutually beneficial relationship,” Giuseppe Milazzo, the head of the E.U. delegation working on the negotiations, said in a release at the time of the signing.
