Tuna stocks to be better monitored
18.12.2009
Tuna stocks in Seychelles’ waters and the Indian Ocean as a whole can now be better monitored to help maintain their sustainability.
This follows a five-year tagging project carried out by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), under the supervision of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), to give an important insight into the status and biology of these fish.
The resources used during the project have now been transferred to the Seychelles government.
The transfer agreement was signed yesterday during a ceremony at the IOTC headquarters in Victoria in the presence of the tagging project’s chief coordinator Jean-Pierre Hallier.
The IOC was represented at the signing by deputy regional authorising officer Raj Mohabeer and permanent liaison officer for Seychelles Jeannette D’Offay, while executive secretary Alejandro Anganuzzi signed on behalf of the IOTC.
The Seychelles Fishing Authority was represented by managing director Ina Henriette.
During the project, over 168,000 tuna were tagged before release back into the sea, and Mr Hallier said so far about 27,500 of them have been caught by local fishermen and purse seiners.
He explained that the number of tuna caught gives an idea of the exploitation rate of the species.