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).