Seychelles tuna bulletin : first semester 2006

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. 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 here 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 whole of 2005 is estimated at 389, 256 MT. This was achieved by an average of 46 vessels active per month. The fishing effort recorded during 2005 was 13,353 fishing days with a mean catch rate of 29.15 MT/fishing day. The 2005 catch is the second highest annual catch reported to date, second only to the record catch of 408, 366 MT recorded in 2003. The purse seine tuna catch reported for the Western Indian Ocean during the first semester of 2006 was 150,363MT achieved by an average of 48 vessels active per month. The total effort reported for the purse seine tuna fleet was 7,016 days, thus giving a mean catch rate of 21.43 MT/fishing day. For the same period in 2004, the total catch reported was 160,711 MT with an average catch rate of 24.72 MT/fishing day. The total effort reported during the first semester of 2005 was 6,501 days. This shows a decrease of 6% in the total catch reported during the first semester of 2006 despite an increase of 8% reported in fishing effort.During the first semester of 2006, yellowfin tuna dominated the catch accounting for 51% of the total catch. However, both yellowfin and skipjack tuna catches dropped by 3% and 14 % respectively, over the catches of the same period in 2005. Readers should note that the catch composition recorded by fishermen in their daily catch and effort reports were corrected based on scientific sampling carried out dur¬ing transhipment or landing in Port Victoria. Table 3 shows purse seine transhipment or landing statistics by harbour.It should be noted that the figures represent the transhipment or landing of vessels whose trips ENDED in the month indicated and NOT the actual month of physi¬cal transhipment or landing of the catch. For the whole year of 2005, a total of 339,686 MT of tuna was unloaded through Port Victoria representing 87% of the total catch. During the first semester of 2006, transhipment and landing through Port Victoria amounted to 141,523 MT representing 94% of the total catch. For the same pe¬riod in 2005 a total of 125,765 MT was unloaded in Port Victoria. This repre¬sents an increase of 13% recorded during the first semester of 2006. Map 4, which shows fishing grounds exploited during first semester of 2006 indi-cates a slight decrease in activities in the Mozambique Channel and an increase in activities in the Somalia Basin area when compared to the same period, the pre¬vious year.

Bibliographic Details

Other Authors:	Seychelles Fishing Authority
Format:	Other biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	2007
Subjects:	Tuna fisheries, Catch statistics, Purse seiners, Foreign fishing, Data,
Online Access:	http://hdl.handle.net/1834/5183
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