Africa-Press – Seychelles. The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) has said that the closing date of the lobster harvest season for 2021/2022 remains today, February 16, 2022 despite several requests from licensed lobster fishers to extend the current season by a few weeks.
According to the fishers, bad weather had hindered their fishing activity during the open season, hence the reason for their requests to extend the harvest season.
The SFA says its technical team have reviewed the catch data of the current season, considering ‘Effort’ (i.e., the number of days used for fishing) and the ‘Catch per Unit Effort’ (CPUE) (i.e., an indirect measure of the abundance of lobster).
This data revealed that ‘Effort’ was significantly higher compared to previous seasons, but the CPUE data has declined. This indicates that the relative abundance of lobsters has decreased, and despite the increase in fishing effort, fishers are catching fewer lobsters per trip on account of the potential decline in abundance.
“Therefore, the SFA has decided to maintain the closure of the fishery at February 16, 2022 (at midnight), to promote a sustainable approach to the management of this precious resource,” the SFA says in a communiqué from the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy.
SFA has reiterated that it is an offence under the Fisheries Act for anyone to harvest lobster after the closure of the season.
SFA is encouraging retailers and members of the public to be aware of people selling fresh lobsters after the closure, and to contact the SFA if they witness such activity.
Press release from the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy
For More News And Analysis About Seychelles Follow Africa-Press
