Seychelles tuna bulletin: Year 2010

Data used to generate the tables and figures presented here are based on daily catch and effort forms (logbooks) returned from fishing vessels that are licensed to fish in the Seychelles EEZ and for purse seiners, as well as from data collected via the tuna sampling programme conducted during transhipment in Port Victoria. Sometimes there are delays in these being received at SFA, especially for longliners that often spend up to a year at sea, and for purse seiners the delays are usually during and just after the second quarter of the year when most vessels are fishing in the Mozambique Channel and are not necessarily using Port Victoria for transhipment. Readers should note that many of the figures presented for longline fishing vessel are subject to revision (usually upwards) as more data become available. The closing date for compilation of data prior to the generation of the statistical tables is shown at the head of each table. PURSE SEINERS. PRINCIPAL POINTS: The total catch reported by purse seiners licensed in Seychelles during the year 2009 was 262,719 MT. This was achieved by an average of 38 active vessels per month and a fishing effort of 10, 936 fishing days giving a mean catch rate of 24.02 MT/fishing days. The purse seine tuna catch reported for the Western Indian Ocean during the first semester of 2010 was 128,692 MT obtained from a fishing effort of 4,513 fishing days, this giving a mean catch rate of 28.52 MT/fishing days. This represents an increase of 11 % in catches from 116, 000 MT recorded during the same period in 2009. During the second semester of 2010, a total of 150,552 MT of tuna was caught from a fishing effort of 4,806 fishing days. This represents a 3 % increase in total catch over the same period in 2009. The mean catch rate recorded during the second semester of 2010 was 31.33 MT/fishing days compared to 28.50 MT/fishing day recorded during the same period in 2009. The total purse seine tuna catches for the year 2010 is estimated at 279,244 MT representing an increase of 6 % or 16,525 MT of tuna above the total catch recorded in 2009. This was achieved by an average of 33 vessels active per month and fishing effort of 9,318 fishing days. Thus the mean catch rate for 2010 was estimated at 29.97 MT/fishing days. During 2010, skipjack tuna dominated the catch accounting for 55 % of the total catch followed by yellowfin tuna (37 %) and bigeye tuna (8 %). Catches of yellowfin and skipjack increased by 22 % and 2 % respectively, whilst that of bigeye tuna decreased by 18 %. Readers should note that the catch composition recorded by fishermen in their daily catch and effort reports were corrected based on scientific sampling carried during transshipment or landing in Port Victoria. 1.Table 3 shows purse seine transshipment or landing statistics by harbour. It should be noted that the figures represent the transshipment or landing of vessels whose trips ENDED in the month indicated and NOT the actual month of physical transshipment or landing of the catch. During the first semester of 2010, transshipment and landing through Port Victoria amounted to 92,091 MT representing 72 % of the total catch. For the same period in 2009 a total of 72,197 MT (62% of the total catch) was unloaded in Port Victoria. This represents an increase of 28 % in total tuna transshipped/landed during the first semester of 2010 over the same period in 2009 (table 3). During the second semester of 2010, an increase of 55 % was recorded in total tuna transhipped/landed in Port Victoria compared to the first semester. A total of 143,115 MT, 95 % of the total catch was unloaded here compared to 139,398 MT for the same period of the previous year. For the whole of 2010, a total of 235,206 MT of tuna was transhipped in Port Victoria compared to 211,595 MT in 2009. This represents 84% of the total catch for the year 2010 and an increase of 11% above the previous year. LONGLINERS. PRINCIPAL POINTS Readers should be aware that the longliners statistics represent only a small sample of the total longliners activity in the WIO because: Not all longliners in the WIO have a licence to fish in the Seychelles EEZ and therefore are under no obligation to report to SFA. Some Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFN) provide SFA with log sheets covering their activity in the whole Indian Ocean while others confine their reports to the Seychelles EEZ. Since the duration of licences can vary from one month to twelve months, for comparison purposes, each month covered in a logbook was considered as one logbook. The statistics published for 2009 are related to 604 logbooks (months) or 81 % logbook received at the time when statistical tables were generated. A total of 112 licenses were issued to 93 vessels in 2009. During 2010, a total of 396 logbooks (months) or 84 % logbooks were received, for the 65 licenses issued to 55 vessels. Analysis of data collected to date show that: The total catch for the whole year 2009 was 10,221 MT obtained from a fishing effort 25.3 million hooks, thus giving a mean catch rate of 0.40 MT/1000 hooks. During the first semester of 2010, a total catch of 3,906 MT was reported, compared to 6,395 MT for the same period in 2009 representing a decrease of 39 %. This was achieved from a fishing effort of 10.6 million hooks giving a mean catch rate of 0.37 MT/100 hooks. The mean catch rate for the same period in 2009 was 0.42 MT/1000 hooks. During the second semester of 2010 a total catch of 4,687 MT was reported compared to 3,826 MT for 2009. A total of 11.5 million hooks were set during that period giving a mean catch rate of 0.41 MT/1000 hooks compared to 0.38 MT/1000 hooks, which was recorded during the same period the previous year. For the whole of 2010, a total catch of 8,594 MT was reported representing a decrease of 16 % in catches when compared to the year 2009. The 2010 catches were achieved from a fishing effort of approximately 22.2 million hooks giving a mean catch rate of 0.39 MT/1000 hooks compared to 0.40 MT/1000 hooks for 2009. For the whole year 2010, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and swordfish recorded a decrease 5 %,10 % and 30% respectively. Bigeye tuna dominated the catch accounting for 54% of the total catch whilst yellowfin tuna up to 10 % of the total catch

Bibliographic Details

Other Authors:	Seychelles Fishing Authority
Format:	Other biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	2011
Subjects:	Purse seiners, Tuna fisheries, Catch statistics,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/1834/5191
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