Seychelles

The Republic of Seychelles has been a FiTI Candidate country since April 2020.

Seychelles, an island group in the western Indian Ocean, comprises of 115 islands spread over an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.37 million km2. Despite having a land mass of just 455 km2, Seychelles is a large oceanic state, and a major player in the global tuna industry, with Port Victoria one of the busiest industrial fishing ports in the Western Indian Ocean. Seychelles is heavily reliant on its two main pillars of the economy: tourism and fisheries.

Candidate application

The FiTI International Board approved Seychelles’ Candidate application on 3 April 2020. The official documents were submitted by then Vice-President Vincent Meriton submitted on behalf of the country’s National Multi-Stakeholder Group to the FiTI International Board on 6 March 2020.

FiTI Reports

Seychelles’ next FiTI Report, covering calendar year 2021, will be published by end of February 2023.

Validations

The FiTI International Board has not validated Seychelles against the FiTI Standard yet. However, the FiTI International Board has tasked the FiTI International Secretariat to launch the validation process in accordance with the FiTI Standard (section D.1) for Seychelles; time frame: April 2020 until December 2021 [Decision ID: BM-14_2021_D-04]. It is currently expected that the validation will be completed by December 2022.

Relevant posts

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  Seychelles removes confidentiality clause from renegotiated fishing agreements to comply with FiTI StandardNovember 28, 2022
  Two foreign fishing access agreements recently renewed by the government of Seychelles and two Taiwanese private associations have had their non-disclosure clauses removed, in a boon for transparency efforts in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
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  “It is not just politically correct to want transparency, it is politically smart”August 24, 2022
  The FiTI International Secretariat [FiTI] sat down with Seychelles’ Minister for Fisheries and Blue Economy, Jean-Francois Ferrari [JFF] to speak about the role of Seychelles in promoting transparency among other African countries and Small Island Developing States, including their engagement with regional fisheries management organizations, such as the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission.
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  “Nobody can say Seychelles’ fisheries are too difficult to understand”August 9, 2022
  Victoria – 9 August 2022. Today, the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) met with Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy, Mr. Jean-François Ferrari, to present a newly-designed copy of the Seychelles’ 2020 FiTI Report. Over the recent months, the FiTI International Secretariat has been working with a designer to produce a FiTI Report template for use by all countries that are part of the initiative. With the template now ready, Seychelles’ 2020 FiTI Report is the […]
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  Public debate gathers fisheries stakeholders to discuss future of the sector in SeychellesJuly 18, 2022
  On Monday, 18 July, the French Embassy in Seychelles – with the support of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) and the Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD) – organised a public debate on the future of Seychelles’ fisheries sector.
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  Significant steps towards fisheries transparency as Seychelles launches 2020 FiTI ReportDecember 15, 2021
  Victoria/Seychelles – 15 December 2021. Seychelles today published its second annual report to the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI), as the Indian Ocean archipelago continues its push to enhance the public availability of fisheries management information.
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  World Oceans Day 2021: Transparency supports life and livelihoods in fisheriesJune 9, 2021
  Celebrated every year on June 8, World Oceans Day represents an opportunity to remind ourselves of the vital role the ocean plays in all our lives. This year, the international day is being commemorated under the theme ‘The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods’, in an effort to shine a light on how the ocean is our life source, nurturing and sustaining humanity.
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  Seychelles launches 1st FiTI Report ever!April 15, 2021
  Today, Seychelles has officially launched its first ever report to the Fisheries Transparency Initiative, making it the first country in the world to submit such a report. This is a major milestone for the country’s efforts to ensure that fisheries are environmentally sustainable, economically viable and socially equitable – not only now, but for generations to come. 
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  Kick-off Forum ‘Transparency of Fisheries in Seychelles’November 18, 2020
  The ‘Transparency of Fisheries in Seychelles’ Kick-off Forum took place on 30 September 2020 at the Eden Bleu Hotel, Seychelles, supporting the country’s current endeavours to compile its first FiTI Report.
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  FiTI and Seychelles sign 10-year Headquarters AgreementOctober 22, 2020
  Victoria, 22 October 2020. The Headquarters Agreement for the Seychelles to host the International Secretariat for the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) was signed today in a short ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs.
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  Seychelles is granted FiTI Candidate statusApril 7, 2020
  Victoria, 3 April 2020. The International Board of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) has announced its approval of the country’s application, making the Seychelles only the second country to be granted the status of a FiTI Candidate country, after Mauritania.
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  Indian Ocean Islands, East African countries collaborate to enhance transparency and participation in fisheriesJuly 19, 2017
  For two days, over 30 representatives from the fishing industry, civil society, governments and fishing administrations from Seychelles, Mauritius, Comoros, Madagascar, Tanzania, Kenya, Mozambique as well as international stakeholders, met on Mahé Island, Seychelles, to discuss the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI).
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  2nd INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE: Launching a new era of transparency and participation in fisheriesMay 12, 2017
  INDONESIA – 27 April 2017. The 2nd International Conference of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative, hosted by the Government of Indonesia, launched a new era of transparency and participation in fisheries through the adoption of the first FiTI Standard (see here) and the launch of the first FiTI International Board (see here).
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  FiTI Secretariat conducts 1st Feasibility Study in the SeychellesJune 16, 2016
  In order to develop the FiTI Standard – and in particular the scope of the FiTI Reporting, two technical working groups, one dedicated to small-scale fisheries and the other to large-scale fisheries, were established. Both groups – composed of experts from the International Advisory Group – have been developing recommendations on the scope of the FiTI Reporting, taking into account the differences and specificities of both the small-scale and large-scale sectors.
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  Mauritania urges world to fight fishing secrecy; three more countries commitFebruary 4, 2016
  Mauritania launches a global fisheries transparency initiative, unlocking a major obstacle to sustainable fishing; Indonesia, Senegal, and the Seychelles announce their commitment too.
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  Transparency is key to fisheries, Peter Eigen emphasizes at World Bank Spring MeetingJuly 20, 2015
  Peter Eigen, Chair of the FiTI International Advisory Group, was invited to participate in the World Bank’s Spring Meeting side event “Improving livelihoods and creating wealth through sustainable fisheries” in Washington on April 16, 2015 to speak about the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI).