Seychelles schooner fishery: an analysis of data collected during the period January 1985 to July 1990

Schooners are the largest category of vessel participating in the local fishery. They are fully decked fishing boats equipped with inboard engines and fish with handlines or electric fishing reels. They account for about 15% of the total artisanal catch, but commercially valuable demersal species predominate. Their economic importance is thus greater than the catch volumes would indicate. Furthermore, they have the greatest range and are able to undertake longer fishing trips than other local vessels. They, or a similar class of vessel, are thus considered vitally important for the future development of the local fishery, where the potential for expansion from demersal species is considered to be offshore on the more distant banks and island groups. The potential yield of demersal species available to the line fishery is estimated to be 3,800 MT. Despite efforts to promote the schooner fishery the number of boats actively fishing has declined in recent years. The fleet is considered to be run down and to offer poor financial returns on investment. Recently, in an attempt to rejuvenate the fishery, new boat designs and electric fishing reels have been introduced, and policy changes have been proposed to encourage new investment in this sector. The present report examines the impact of some of these changes.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Mees, C. C.
Format:	Report biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Seychelles Fishing Authority 1990
Subjects:	Artisanal fishing, Fishery statistics, Catch/effort, Fishing effort, Fishing gear,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/1834/5128
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!