ManagementoftheSeychellesseacucumberfisherystatusandprospects.PDFVIP

Session II - Resources management 239 Management of the Seychelles sea cucumber fishery: status and prospects Riaz Aumeeruddy and Rondolph Payet Seychelles Fishing Authority, Victoria, Seychelles Abstract For a long period, the sea cucumber resources in Seychelles have been exploited by an open-access fishery with no management measures in place. Following its development in the 1950s, the fishery remained of minor importance until recent years, when a rapid development occurred due to the increase in demand for beche-de-mer on the international market. The lack of information on the fishery makes it difficult to ascertain its characteristics, as well as the stocks of sea cucumbers. Six species are currently exploited, mainly for the export market: Holothuria nobilis, H. fuscogilva, H. scabra, Thelenota ananas, Actinopyga mauritiana and A. lecanora . The fishery is located on the Mahé Plateau surrounding the main granitic islands of the Seychelles and further south on the Amirantes Plateau. Around 33 000 kg of beche-de-mer were exported in 2002. Signs of stock reduction have become evident during the past four years, as fishers have had to dive deeper sometimes using SCUBA. In order to avoid further depletion of the stocks, a precautionary approach was taken by the Seychelles Fishing Authority. Some management measures were introduced in 1999 to regulate access to the fishery. A license for fishing and processing sea cucumbers was introduced, but the licensees failed to provide adequate and timely catch data. The main constraints in controlling the fishery are the lack of human and financial resources. Fishery dependent data based on catch reports lack accuracy and catch is often underreported. This led to more stringent regulations whereby catch and effort reporting became mandatory and a more conservative limit was imposed