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Friday, July 30, 2010

The current information on the nature of the artisanal shark catch is highly deficient. Some information is gathered on an ad-hoc basis at the main fish market in Victoria – but by this stage the vast majority of sharks have been dressed – i.e. head, tail and fins removed – leaving just a trunk which is often limiting to correct species identification. Monitoring at the landing grounds is also difficult as the time when the boats return to each of their respective stations, varies with weather, workload and location of fishing activity. Furthermore the fishers will often dress the shark while at sea as it: serves to prevent spoiling of the meat, provides for more space and reduces the load in the small boats as they return to shore.

Good catch information is the best means for understanding the status and spatiotemporal distribution of the various species of shark that go to make the shark stocks on the Mahe plateau. Only with such data can informed and adaptive management decisions be made for the benefit of the sustainability of the stocks and the artisanal fishers who depend on them.

So what is required is a simple and pragmatic method of gathering useful data on the catch by the fishermen themselves. Furthermore, this information gathered by the fishers and derived from a catch gained by the application of their own skill, knowledge and effort is in effect their information/property and should be managed and utilised accordingly.

This project therefore seeks to develop a data gathering method that fits in with the practicalities of the fishers’ demanding work and yet still provides useful information. To realize this objective there are several factors to be considered. Central to this is to ensure the standardisation of information collected. The nomenclature for sharks in Seychelles Creole is complicated: the name for some species of shark varies from one region to the next – the bull shark for example has 4 commonly used Creole names. Likewise several species can be grouped together under one name by local fishermen who do not distinguish between physically similar sharks – this is the case for the shark known locally as “nene pwent” which in fact covers at least 4 species. Research undertaken in 2005 served to clarify somewhat this diversity of terminology but further verification is required. To enable this, the project is developing in tandem with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) a shark identification key which brings together all the known Creole names for the sharks, this will be tested and no doubt corrected over time by the fishermen themselves. In addition a simple shark data sheet will be developed that can be transferred to waterproof note books and enable the ready recording of data. Information required will be restricted to the date, species and simple size classification for each specimen.

Finally it is proposed, under the GIF/MFF project to purchase 3 digital cameras with waterproof dive casings to enable the fishermen to photograph any unusual sharks or specimens they are unsure of the identity of. They can then dress the shark and its species identity can still be investigated from the images captured.

The first draft of a data sheet has been developed in consultation with Mr. Vincent Lucas of SFA and will next be discussed with the fishers to get their feedback on the practicality of the format proposed. This is a key first step in empowering the fishers to take charge of their own data collection and thereby fulfill one of their key obligations under the National Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks (Contributed by John Nevill).

Sunday, July 18, 2010

In the Seychelles context Artisanal Shark Fishermen (ASF) are loosely defined as artisanal fishermen who actively target shark and generate approximately 30% or more of their annual income from that fishery.

The use of shark nets was banned in 1998 (Prohibition of net fishing of sharks Reg. 16c 1st August 1998) due to concern regarding by-catch of turtles, marine mammals and non-target whale sharks. Following this the method known locally as “drag” – an anchored long line up to 400 metres in length with anything from 40-120 baited hooks on drop lines – has been developed and utilised in the fishery.

The ASF operate out of small open boats with outboard engines and their range is in general restricted to within 15 miles of their home anchorage. Each boat is typically able to set up to four drag per trip. The fishermen utilise their specialised knowledge of the Seychelles plateau, often passed down within family units, and set their lines in the evening to drift over prime areas and catch the shark as they mobilize in the evening and night time. The lines are retrieved in early morning. The method is largely non-selective, though variations in depth of hook, bait and habitat fished can be utilised to target certain species.

The fishery is typified by the diverse and full use of shark products for the local market. Fresh shark meat is sold each day at the fish market, the meat is also salted and sundried for sale. The especially thick skin of the head of the shark and for some species the entire skin is often flayed and salted for separate sale as a local delicacy “lapo latet reken”. The stomachs are likewise sometimes salted for use, whilst the teeth, spines and jaws of some species are used to make jewelry or for sale as trophies. The fins are of course cut and dried for export to the Asian market.

What is important to note is that this constitutes a wise use of the resource – landing and using the whole animal – as opposed to the wasteful and unsustainable practice of simply fining sharks and discarding the carcass at sea. Furthermore this fishery supplies an important source of cheap, quality protein to the local population. The economic difficulties that Seychelles has passed through over the last 2 years have underlined its importance as local demand for shark meat has increased considerably due to its value-for-money pricing relative to many other fish species.

The GIF project is still in the process of identifying all the ASF on the three main islands and attempting to bring them together so that they can cooperate to better manage their fishery and also properly defend their rights to their traditional livelihood. The site visit to Praslin early this month (2nd to 4th July) was successful with 5 ASF identified there and interviewed. The next step is to bring the ASF together so that they can identify and discuss their common concerns and deliberate on how they can best cooperate.

It is important that all ASF are identified because the National Plan of Action for sharks will seek at some point to license the fishery and close it to newcomers as part of the process of improving management of shark stocks on the plateau – a complete listing is therefore required to protect the rights of these fishers to accessing their means of livelihood(Contributed By John Nevill).

Friday, July 9, 2010

Coastal zone workshop on Denis Island


As part of the ReCoMaP’s funded coastal zone project, a stakeholder workshop was carried out in the first week of May on Denis Island. The main aim of the workshop was to introduce the stakeholders of Denis Island to the ReCoMaP project and Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) processes The setting up of the beach profiling points and the turtle monitoring protocol as well as training on beach profiling methods, turtle identification and tagging were the key workshop outputs.. After the initial stakeholder consultations on Denis Island in April, GIF staff also included presentations on coastal erosion and turtle monitoring. Concerns on these aspects of the island were raised during the initial stakeholder consultations. A steering committee was set up as well on the island to ensure that the project is being implemented and at the same time promote conservation initiatives within the island community.
The potential steering committee members had already been shortlisted previously on Mahe with following discussions with the Managing Director of the Denis Island Development Pty Ltd. This was the more realistic approach to use when staff movement, shifts and the island’s everyday operations are taken into consideration. A large number of the proposed members included front office staff because they are generally the first point of contact with visitors of Denis Island and it was found that the selected members were very keen to participate in the project. A list of equipment which includes a desktop computer, turtle tags and an applicator, GPS, beach profiling poles and an abney level were given to the chairperson of the steering committee to assist in the monitoring of the key coastal indicators.
The first part of the workshop involved the various presentations on the key coastal indicators of the island, which pertain mostly to coastal dynamics and biodiversity. Great levels of interests were generated from the participants, following the theoretical aspects of the training. The level of enthusiasm for the field survey surely surpassed our expectation. The photos on the side bar illustrate this clearly. Setting up the beach profiling reference points: The project team decided to use the standard Seychelles beach profiling method that was officially launched in July 2003. The method was developed by Dr. Gillian Chambers and is simple and easy to use. GIF adopted this method so as to enable data comparison between islands as this method is the Seychelles’ standard. The GPS reference of each point was also recorded.
At the end of the workshop and during the island visit, the monitoring stations for the beach profiles were established (see map above), the first data set was collated and a group of keen volunteers was identified to partake in data collection.

Figure 1:Map of Denis Island with the location and number of the reference points for the beach profiling monitoring exercise and the 6 different turtle monitoring sections.
For more information on the workshop for the Grand Anse Praslin site, do check the Green Islands Foundation blog on:

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The coastal zone project on the other pilot site obtained national media attention for various reasons. First and foremost, it brought Praslin into the limelight, showcasing a national focus of an active local community taking the necessary steps to assist in conserving what they have now, not only for their benefits but also for those yet to come. Furthermore, this is a novel project in the Seychelles and hence deserved a wider audience.



To our surprise which turned out to be a good one, we had quite a good stakeholder turnout, which surpassed my expectation. It was a good chance for us to learn how we can assist a dynamic community where coastal zone issues are primordial to their livelihoods The main aim of the workshop was to increase awareness of the stakeholders to the project, identify & prioritize the coastal issues on the Grand Anse-Amitie coast of Praslin and seek preliminary feedback on potential solutions, propose/approve key indicators identified to establish the necessary baselines and establish a steering committee for the Praslin site.



Please click on the link below to read the full Nation’s article: www.nation.sc/index.php/index.php?art=19699



To view the media coverage for the workshop, click on either links below:



You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohhWrr50sPY

Daily motion: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe1cki_iczm-workshop-on-grand-anse-praslin_tech -