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Speaking as he officially opened the 2nd meeting of fisheries ministers of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, he said piracy is the greatest current threat to fisheries, trade and development in our region.

“The scourge of piracy is hijacking not only our economy but the whole of the Indian Ocean,” said Mr Michel.

“If piracy persists, we cannot trade effectively. We cannot interact with our neighbours. We cannot benefit from the advantages of regional integration such as economies of scale and larger markets. We simply will not be able to develop effectively.”

The President recalled that in the last few days there have been three attacks in and around our exclusive economic zone, with a further eight in the Indian Ocean.

“In one of these attacks, seven of our sea cucumber fishermen were taken hostage and were being ferried back to Somalia,” he said.

“Our forces intervened, and through decisive action we were able to prevent seven of our brothers from being dragged away from their homes, their families and their livelihoods.” 

Mr Michel added that earlier this year our forces rescued seven other Seychellois fishermen and 21 Iranians being held on a captured dhow, after disabling the vessel while it was under the control of pirates.
 
“We are doing more than our part, while at international level not enough is being done,” he said.

“We need to review the strategy being adopted to tackle piracy, which is exploiting the weaknesses that exist in global governance. It exists not only because of the dire state of Somalia, but also because of the inaction of the international community.

“We need concrete action which does not simply skirt around the problem. We appreciate the assistance we are receiving, but it is too slow and too insignificant in the face of the scale of the problem.” 

Mr Michel said Seychelles needs tangible help that goes beyond expressions of support, adding that after the latest incident at the weekend we have a further 15 pirates to contend with in our justice system.

He then called on the ACP countries to send a clear message that piracy goes beyond a simple national or even regional problem. Its effect on fisheries makes it a global problem that we must tackle head on; its effect on the global economy means it will eventually affect us all, he said. 

The President then said he hoped the meeting will provide the momentum for all ACP countries to transform their fisheries resources into sustainable catalysts for development.

“With the increasing demand for fish and fish products in most developed markets, our marine resources have the potential to truly be our blue gold,” he said.

“ACP catches have grown tenfold in the last two decades and now provide over 60% of the global fish trade.
 Unfortunately, because the majority of value addition of fisheries products does not occur in ACP markets, the true value of this ‘blue gold’ is harnessed by others. This is a reality of post-colonial trade for all ACPs.

“We are the custodians of a resource which is also critical to the survival of our planet. We need to redefine trade in such a way that resources can be exploited sustainably.

“I think it is clear to all of us that trade on its own will not bring development. Sustainability is key.” 

Mr Michel said Seychelles realised, early on, the need to manage our fisheries resource carefully to ensure long-term success. Many destructive fisheries practices have been banned outright and the country has worked with development partners to encourage our local fishermen through sustained investment in regional ports, ice plants, fish markets, technical help, training, fishing gear and soft loans for investment.

“Today, both our local artisanal fishery and our industrial tuna fishery are viable and proactive fisheries and play a key role in our economic development,” he said.

“I am proud of what we have achieved in the sector. I am even more proud of the efforts of our fishing entrepreneurs themselves, some of whom started with small-scale one-boat operations but are now processing and exporting.”

Mr Michel said, based on Seychelles’ experience, he wished to propose two priority areas of action for the ACP at international level.

“Firstly we need innovative and affordable financing for our private sector, backed by our governments, to allow us to climb the value-addition ladder. We need to truly be able to derive the wealth generated by our resources,” he said.
 
“Secondly, we need to have sustainable management and conservation practices which allow our resources to offer long-term revenue generation. Simply put, we need to be able to catch less and earn more.”
 
“This may go against the grain in relation to the way trade is managed at global level. But it offers a way for us to move from compensation to development, to move from dependency to independence, to move from short-term exploitation to long-term sustainability.”

The secretary-general of the ACP Group of States’ Secretariat, Dr Mohamed Ibn Chambas, welcomed Mr Michel’s call for more action against piracy.

“This problem is really big and it is a priority issue that needs urgent attention from the international community,” he told Nation in an interview.

“We have heard about the impact of piracy from President Michel himself, how it is affecting even this very peaceful country, and we know others are even more affected.

“We at the ACP will raise this to the level of a major priority issue, addressing it at every forum we hold.”

He said during a recent meeting in Belgium he spoke only about piracy in eastern Africa.

“Frankly I don’t believe the international community has woken up to the reality of the problem and we will bring it to the fore at every platform we have, so our European Union partners and others may realise how big the issue is,” he said.
He said the instability in Somalia itself must be also addressed.

Seychelles’ Minister for Investment, Natural Resources and Industry Peter Sinon also stressed the need to tackle piracy and outlined the challenges it is posing.

Others who attended the meeting were Seychellois ministers, top government and fisheries officials as well as members of the diplomatic corps.