Cages for fish culture in the sea. (Photo: Seychelles Fishing Authority)

New project seeks to refloat aquaculture in Seychelles

SEYCHELLES
Monday, January 15, 2018, 22:50 (GMT + 9)

A new aquaculture facility will be completed in the industrial area in Providence in August, on the east coast of Mahe Island, as part of the first marine aquaculture master plan to be implemented in Seychelles.

The news was announced by Aubrey Lesperance, of the Fishing Authority of Seychelles, who indicated that the new fish farm will help to complement the growing demand for fish products.

The Cabinet of Ministers and the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture are working on the details of the mariculture master plan, mainly in legal matters and in the approval of regulations related to the national aquaculture policy, the Seychelles News Agency reported.

The Government made the decision to start developing mariculture ten years ago, to complement the production of the fishing industry, which is the second most important economic activity in the archipelago.

Lesperance explained that it is difficult for artisanal fishermen to satisfy the demand for fish during the southwest monsoon, so aquaculture, if properly developed, is the best alternative to maintain a stable supply of seafood.

In addition, mariculture also opens the opportunity to generate more income from exports, given that potential markets have already been identified in Asia.

The new aquaculture facility will be dedicated to the production of offspring, its acclimatization and quarantine, and will operate in accordance with international standards. It is designed to ensure that stocks of broodstock can generate high quality eggs, which give rise to specimens resistant to disease and greater longevity.

The aquaculture project will concentrate on a first stage in the production of four species: brown-marbled grouper, red emperor snapper, mangrove snapper and the snubnosed pompano.

The project has financial support from the European Union and technical support from the South African company Advance Africa, and its second phase includes the installation of marine cages and a research laboratory.

The Seychelles News Agency recalls that aquaculture had already been developed in Seychelles in 1989, when a prawn farm was established in Coetivy, which produced black tiger prawns, but it stopped working in 2009. A black pearl oyster farm also operted in Praslin, the second most populous island, which produced black-lipped oyster and pearl oysters for the jewelry retail market.

In 2016, the Seychelles Government determined, after a public consultation, that this pilot aquaculture project will demonstrate the viability of this activity in the Seychelles waters.

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