Seychelles is proud of its long-standing enlightened conservation policies, adopted to ensure protection of fish stocks through best practice in the fishing arena.
One example of this is a total ban on the use of spear guns throughout Seychelles’ waters. Local customs officials will confiscate such items from anyone who carry them when entering Seychelles.
Fishing is prohibited within the boundaries of the Curieuse, Ile Cocos, Port Launay/Baie Ternay and Ste. Anne Marine National Parks. These areas are patrolled by park rangers. In addition, no fishing is permitted within 200 metres around Aride Island Nature Reserve.
The practice of ‘tag and release’ has been widely adopted in order to safeguard fish stocks for future generations of fishermen. Tag and release is when a fish is caught and then released alive back into the water.
In addition, the gentle whale shark, common in Seychelles’ waters during the month of August and from October to January, is a species protected both by Seychelles law and by CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The responsibility of promoting Seychelles’ fishing industry, preserving its resources, formulating and implementing national policies on fishing matters falls under the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA). The SFA is a parastatal organization and the executive, regulatory arm of government in the field of fisheries.
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