August 2000
LOCATION AND MAIN LANDING PLACES
There are sixty-one prescribed fish landing stations for Mauritius and nineteen for the island of Rodrigues (see table). All artisanal fishermen are legally bound to land their catches at the prescribed fish landing stations. The list of the fish landing stations is presented on the next page. However, the three main fish landing stations, with their respective average annual landings, are Grand Bay (52 t), Mahebourg (70 t), and Trou d’Eau Douce (82 t).
Prescribed fish landing places
|
ISLAND OF MAURITIUS |
|
|
Roches
Noires |
Baie
du Cap I (Cocos) |
|
ISLAND OF RODRIGUES |
|
|
Port
Mathurin |
Oyster
Bay (at Pointe L’Aigle) |
The semi-industrial chilled fish fishery has three landing sites and their annual landings (tonnes) are: Port Louis (20 t), Trou aux Biches (60 t) and Black River (20 t)
The mother vessels operating in the shallow oceanic banks fishery land their catches at the Trou Fanfaron Fishing Port. An annual average of 4 000 t of frozen fish are landed. The oceanic purse-seine vessels also land frozen tuna in the Trou Fanfaron Fishing Port. Tuna landings, which were of the order of 10 000 t in 1993, declined to 4 000 t in 1997. Through the same fishing port, tuna and tuna-like species to the extent of 12 000 t are transhipped from Taiwanese and Japanese long-liners to reefer vessels for Asian markets.
FISHERIES ADMINISTRATION AND STAKEHOLDERS
The fisheries sector falls under the Ministry of Fisheries and Cooperatives. The Minister has the responsibility for the fisheries and cooperatives sectors, with an Acting Permanent Secretary as the top public administrator. The fisheries and cooperatives sectors are handled as two discrete entities, each falling under the administrative control of a Principal Assistant Secretary, as depicted in the organigram.
The Fisheries Administration has some general administrative personnel, plus two sections, namely the Research and Development Section and the Fisheries Protection Service. The Research and Development Section has its headquarters at the Albion Fisheries Research Centre. It has another two sub-stations at the Fishing Port and at La Ferme Fish Farm. It has a staff of sixty, comprising scientists, technicians and consultants. The e-mail address for the Albion Fisheries Research Centre is <fish@intnet.mu>. The Fisheries Protection Service and the fisheries administration have their headquarters at the seat of the Ministry. The Fisheries Protection Service has an enforcement staff of 255, operating from 12 coastal fisheries posts. The National Coast Guard, which is a specialized agency within the police force, provides additional assistance for enforcement of national fisheries laws and regulations.
There are three main fisheries in Mauritius, namely coastal fisheries, bank fisheries and tuna fisheries. The main actors in the coastal or artisanal fisheries are the 3 600 professional fishers of Mauritius and Rodrigues. Some of the fishers operate in fisheries cooperatives or fishers associations, other are self-employed. Some operate under the aegis of middlemen, locally known as banian. The fishers generally depend upon the middleman for finance, cash advance, gear, boats, fuel and marketing of the catch. The sports fishery, which attracts devoted anglers from throughout the world, operates from big game anglers clubs or from the boathouses of beach resorts. There are seven large bank fishing companies, which own 14 mother ships and employ around 700 fishermen. There is just one oceanic purse-seiner in the tuna fishery, which supplies raw material to the local cannery, which employs about 1 200 workers.
Main objectives
The main objectives of fisheries management in the country are to give the necessary support to the development of the fisheries industry and to ensure that the fishery resources are exploited at sustainable levels, by rational management practices. Fisheries management is aimed at production and regular supply of fish and fishery products for the local market in sufficient quantities to ensure the well being of the population through provision of nutritious food. It is geared towards enhancing production from poorly tapped fishery resources and reduction in fishing effort where the fishery is overexploited. Fisheries being a productive sector, one objective is to ensure its contribution to the national economic and social development of the country. The government encourages investment in fisheries, such as the tuna fisheries, so as to increase fish production. Incentives are also given to prospective fish farmers in order to increase production from aquaculture.
Per caput fish consumption has averaged 19 kg/year in the last few years. The target is to maintain a figure of 20 kg/year in the coming years. The aim in Mauritius and Rodrigues is geared towards a gradual decrease in the number of fishers in order to reduce fishing pressure in the lagoons. Canned pilchards, mackerel, sardines, chilled fish, chilled crustaceans and dried fish will continue to be imported to supply the domestic market. At the same time, production of tuna and the export of canned tuna is expected to grow in order to maintain a positive trade balance in the fisheries sub-sector.
A Marine Protected Area (MPA) system is in place for the conservation of marine resources and preservation of marine diversity. Depending on the level of management to be put in place, the MPAs have been categorized into Fishing Reserves, Marine Reserves, Wetlands and Marine Parks, as provided for in the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act 1998. The MPA system will be further developed so as to cover all the outer islands and islets of the Republic of Mauritius.
Government strategy for fisheries
The overriding principle in the government strategy for fisheries is management of the capture fisheries within sustainable limits while ensuring continuous and even supply of fish and fishery products to the local market. In overexploited stocks, the fisheries are closed to newcomers and existing fishers are being encouraged to move into other fisheries. In order to increase fish production, incentives are given by the government for boosting aquaculture. In the case of capture fisheries, where the resources are not being optimally tapped, development incentives are given to prospective investors. Coastal and banks fisheries are closed to foreign companies. In the case of the highly migratory tuna, fishing agreements are made with foreign bodies and countries whereby fishing possibilities are granted within the Mauritian EEZ through a fishing vessel licensing system. Local investment and joint ventures are also encouraged in tuna fisheries.
With a view to minimize spoilage, artisanal fishers are encouraged to use ice to improve the keeping quality of their catches. Semi-industrial vessels have to ice all their catches and offer the same for sale at retail outlets either from iced containers or chilling cabinets. Operators in the banks fishery are permitted to process up to 35% of their catches into value-added products like scaled and sliced fish or fish fillets. As the banks fishery is optimally exploited, the fishery is closed to newcomers.
Management of coastal fisheries
The artisanal coastal fishers in Mauritius, Rodrigues and the outer islands exploit the lagoon and outer lagoon coastal fisheries. The fishery is essentially a multispecies one, comprising Lethrinus spp., Mugil spp., Siganus spp., Naso spp., Scarus spp., Epinephelus spp. and Parapenaeus spp. as the main species. Penaeid shrimps, oysters and octopus are also fished to a lesser extent. The artisanal fishery is the main source of fresh fish supply for the local market. This fishery uses traditional means and methods of fishing. The fishing implements used are mostly hooks and lines, basket traps, large nets, gill nets, canard nets, cast nets, shrimp nets and harpoons.
The artisanal net fishery
Nets operated by fishers in the coastal fisheries of Mauritius include large nets, gill nets, pocket nets, canard nets and shrimp nets. The various nets are defined in the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act, 1998, namely:
-
A large net means a net which (i) does not exceed 500 m in length and 2.5 m in width; and (ii) is made up of square meshes measuring not less than 9 cm when stretched diagonally;
-
A gill net means a net which (i) is set for catching fish; (ii) does not exceed 250 m in length and 2.5 m in width; and (iii) is made up of square meshes measuring not less than 11 cm when stretched diagonally;
-
A pocket net means a net (i) not exceeding 15 m in length and 12 m in width; (ii) with 2 arms not exceeding 10 m each; (iii) which is made up of square meshes not less than 9 cm when stretched diagonally; and (iv) which is used in conjunction with a large net;
-
A canard net means a net (i) which is used in conjunction with a large net for catching mullets; (ii) which does not exceed 100 m in length and 5 m in width; (iii) which is made by several layers of nets fitted with poles to maintain the whole net afloat on the surface of the water; and (iv) the meshes of any of the layers measure not less than 9 cm when stretched diagonally;
-
A shrimp net means a net in the form of a bag not exceeding 2 m2 which (i) is used for catching shrimps; (ii) is fitted with a loop measuring not more than 50 cm diametrically or diagonally; or (iii) is mounted on 2 handles and fitted with weights.
A large net is operated during daylight hours in line with the Fisheries Act, i.e. from sunrise to sunset, whilst the gill net is operated solely at night, from sunset to sunrise. It is prohibited to fish in the fishing reserves and in the marine parks with large or gill nets. A five-month close period is applicable to the nets. No large net or gill net can be operated from 1 October to the last day of February in the following year.
Landings and control in the net fishery
The number of registered professional fishermen of Mauritius who were active in the large net and gill net fisheries and their catch are presented in the table.
Annual catch (t) by large and gill nets
|
Year |
No. of fishers |
Large net catch |
No. of fishers |
Gill net catch |
|
1995 |
499 |
308 |
96 |
38 |
All registered professional fishermen are legally bound to land their catches at prescribed fish landing stations, where the attendance of the fishermen and information pertaining to catch, fishing grounds and effort is recorded by fisheries protection officers. However, for the production of national fisheries statistics, a team of 5 enumerators record information from the 61 fish landing stations based on a Catch Assessment Survey (CAS) designed by FAO and implemented since 1977. The net fishers have an average of five sorties per week and the catch per fishermen day (CPFD) averages 5 kg.
Control over fishing activities is done through a licensing system, coupled with enforcement at sea and at the fish landing stations. The large nets and the gill nets are licensed at the beginning of each fishing season against payment of an annual licence fee of Mau Rs 200 and 100 respectively (exchange rate (1999) Mau Rs 25 = US$ 1). At the end of the fishing season, the Fisheries Protection Service fixes a seal on the nets for the five months of close period. Fishing licences are non-transferable. The operation of the nets is geographically restricted in the respective waters of the seven coastal districts, as shown in the table.
Licences issued per district
|
District |
No. of Large Net licences |
No. of Gill Net licences |
||||
|
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
|
|
Port
Louis |
1 |
- |
- |
1 |
1 |
- |
|
TOTAL |
32 |
24 |
24 |
19 |
10 |
8 |
Fiscal incentives and allowances in the net fishery
In Mauritius, registered professional fishermen benefit from the following:
-
Purchase of an outboard engine every three years from which customs duty has been remitted, and remission of duty on an auxillary engine below 15 HP capacity every 5 years;
-
A non-contributory insurance scheme which provides Mau Rs 50 000 to the heirs of the fisher in case of accidental death at sea;
-
A bad weather allowance of Mau Rs 90/day to the fisherman for every such day when the weather at sea is bad and fishing is not possible, as determined by the Meteorological Services;
-
A net close season allowance of Mau Rs 90/day paid to each fisher in the net fishery for the five months when the nets are under seal for the closed fishing season.
Since the fishermen belong to the lowest stratum of income earners, the government has since 1991 put in place a scholarship scheme for the children of registered professional fishermen. Despite education being free at all levels in Mauritius, the scholarship ensures that these children can pursue studies at secondary and tertiary levels. The scheme provides inter alia:
-
that the 30 best children of fishermen successful at the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) examination each receives a monthly allowance of Mau Rs 375 to pursue secondary education;
-
that eight children of fishermen having the best performance at School Certificate (SC) examinations have a reserve seat in a State Secondary School to pursue Higher School Certificate (HSC) and receive a monthly stipend of Mau Rs 750; and
-
The best four children at HSC from the fisher community to enter the University of Mauritius for higher studies, with a monthly stipend of Mau Rs 1 500.
Decision-making and implementation of management measures in the net fishery
The Fisheries and Marine Resources Act, 1998, provides for the establishment of fisheries consultative committees. There is a Coastal Fisheries Consultative Committee chaired by the Minister of Fisheries, which meets on a quarterly basis. This is a broad committee wherein most of the stakeholders’ representatives can voice their views and opinions on various aspects of the fishery. Thus decisions are made through a consultative process, followed by departmental orders or promulgation of specific fisheries regulations designed to better manage the fishery.
The Fisheries Act, 1980, which was in force until 19 November 1999, provided gear number limitation, namely 33 large nets, 33 canard nets and 20 gill nets for the island of Mauritius. The later Act, i.e. The Fisheries and Marine Resources Act, 1988, which was proclaimed on 20 November 1999, provides for just 10 large nets, 10 canard nets, 10 gill nets and 100 shrimp nets for the lagoon of Mauritius. There is a transitional provision whereby previous net licence holders may continue to have their licences renewed.
Thus to reduce the number of nets, government introduced a buy-back scheme for the large nets and gill nets in 1996. These fisheries are already closed to newcomers. Each large net is operated by a team of 15-20 fishermen, whereas a gill net is operated by 5-10 fishermen. Government offers financial compensation to the owners of the nets and also to the fishers operating such nets, along with a package of other incentives. The compensation payable to owners of nets who relinquish their licences is of the order of Mau Rs 200 000 for a large net and Mau Rs 70 000 for a gill net. The compensation payable for returning the net is Mau Rs 30 000 for a large net and Mau Rs 20 000 for a gill net. Each fisherman is further paid a compensation of Mau Rs 25 000. For the fishers who operate in cooperatives, as there is no single owner, each fisherman is compensated a sum of Mau Rs 50 000. This has had a positive impact, with the result that 8 large nets and 9 gill net licences were surrendered in 1997. During 1998, 2 large net and 2 gill net licenses were surrendered. This package will continue until such time that the numbers of nets match that fixed in the Fisheries and Marine Resources Act, 1998. There was no limitation on the number of shrimp nets in the previous act, but such restrictions were introduced in the current act in order to reduce the capture of juvenile fish along with the target shrimps.
Management of banks fisheries
The shallow-water banks fishery is carried out on the oceanic banks of the Saya de Malha, Nazareth, Albatross and Chagos banks. It provides a yearly average of about 4 500 t of frozen fish for the local market. Up to 90% of the catch consists of Lethrinus mahsena and Lethrinus rubrioperculatus. The associated species in the catch are Aprion spp., Variola spp, Caranx spp., Plectropomus spp. and Epinephelus spp. Around 700 fishermen are involved in this fishery, and average catch per unit effort (CPUE) is around 70 kg. The annual catch from the various banks, along with the respective vessels involved, is presented below.
Annual catches by bank (t)
|
Year |
Vessels |
Saya de Malha |
Nazareth |
St. Brandon |
Chagos |
Albatross |
Total Catch |
|
1993 |
17 |
3173 |
1358 |
590 |
195 |
261 |
5577 |
The fishing fleet has vessels in the overall length range of 18 to 55 m. The larger mother ships generally take two months for a round fishing trip, with 60-70 fishermen aboard each vessel. The vessel carries between 15-20 dories, and the actual fishing is done with handlines and each dory is manned by a team of three fishermen on the fishing grounds. The particulars of the motherships are presented below.
Particulars of the fishing fleet
|
Vessel |
LOA (m) |
GRT |
Fish hold (t) |
Crew |
Fboys* |
Fishers |
Joined in |
|
Talbot
III |
48 |
299 |
150 |
12 |
12 |
66 |
1986 |
Decision-making and implementation of management measures in the banks fishery
The Fisheries and Marine Resources Act, 1998, provides for a consultative process in decision making. Decisions are taken at the level of the Offshore Fisheries Consultative Committee, which is chaired by the Minister of Fisheries.
A licensing system was introduced in 1992 to control fishing activities on the banks. The licences are valid for one year. Furthermore, a quota system was introduced in 1994, with a view to better managing the fish resources on the banks. The Total Allowable Catch (TAC) was allocated proportionally among the fishing vessels according to their respective fishing performance during 1993.
As from the 1995-96 fishing season, major modifications were made to the quota system. A new quota was calculated using the fishing performance of the fishing companies during the previous five years and a quota was allocated to companies rather than to their vessels. The companies could internally transfer quota allocations. The TAC for the fishing season September1995 to August 1996 was established at 4 752 t, and it was to be reduced by 5% during each subsequent year. The TAC for the fishing season September 1996 to August 1997 was set at 4 514 t. For the fishing season 1997-98, the quota allocated to fishing companies was based on their performance during the previous two years, so as to avoid non-performing companies securing a quota and not using it, and the TAC was set at 4 288 t.
A bank fishing vessel has to satisfy all conditions specified in its fishing licence. Thus three days prior to leaving port, the Fisheries Protection Service inspects the vessel and delivers a clearance to the fishing master. Two days prior to returning to port after a fishing campaign, the fishing master has to inform the Fisheries Enforcement Officers about the date and time when it will enter port. On reaching Port Louis harbour, the master has to submit the following information to the Ministry of Fisheries: (i) a report on the species composition of the catch; and (ii) information relating to the origin of the catch, the catch and effort in accordance with the approved log sheets.
Additionally, for the enforcement officer, the master has to produce the logbook of the vessel for examination and make its catch available for verification and sampling. Upon receipt and verification of all information, the vessel is issued with a fish-landing permit. Fishing vessels are also bound to take on board observers whenever required during their fishing campaign.
Fiscal incentives and allowances in the banks fishery
The banks fishermen are entitled to a death grant of Mau Rs 50 000 and their children are eligible for the scholarships as provided for the coastal fisheries, referred to elsewhere. The fishing companies can also benefit from incentives through development certificates.
Management of tuna fisheries
Tuna is widely distributed in the EEZ of Mauritius. It is fished by Mauritian and foreign fishing vessels. Catches from the western Indian Ocean reached 260 000 t/yr of tuna. Three Mauritian purse-seiners operating in this fishery landed 10 279 t of tuna in 1993. The catch declined to 6 179 t of tuna in 1995, when only two purse-seiners were engaged in the fishery. By mid-1997, one more purse seiner had justify this fishery, resulting in a catch of 4 435 t of tuna for 1997. Currently, only one purse-seiner operates in the tuna fishery and its landings for 1998 amounted to 2 848 t of tuna. The other purse-seiners are from Europe, mostly Spanish and French vessels fishing under licence agreements.
Tuna, like most pelagic fishes, commonly aggregate around drifting objects or floating logs. Most of the purse-seiners shoot their nets around schools of fish that gather around natural floating objects or artificial drifting fish aggregating devices. The catch rate of Mauritian purse-seiners is in the range of 16-18 t/day. The species composition of the catch indicates a regular dominance of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) (61-66%) over yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) (21-24%) and big eye tuna (Thunnus obesus) (6-8%). The main fishing ground for the Mauritian purse-seiners is the western Indian Ocean, from longitude 47° E to 82° E and latitude 9° N to 8° S. The catch landed by Mauritian purse-seiners is shown below.
Tuna catch by Mauritian purse-seiners
|
Year |
No. of landings |
Yellowfin |
Skipjack |
Bigeye |
Others |
Total |
|
1993 |
21 |
2 454 |
6 862 |
619 |
344 |
10 279 |
Catches from the Mauritian purse-seiners are landed in Port Louis harbour for processing at the local cannery. The cost of a purse-seiner is about French Franc 300 million. The high cost hampers Mauritius from developing a national fleet of purse-seiners. The local cannery has to buy about 60% of its raw material from foreign fishing vessels. Mauritius has a fishing agreement with the Seychelles. This agreement allows up to five Mauritian purse-seiners and one long-liner to be licensed to fish in the waters of Seychelles.
Mauritius has a fishing agreement with the European Union (EU). The protocol to the third fishing kagreement between Mauritius and EU, in force from December 1996 to November 1999, provided fishing opportunities to 43 purse-seiners, 100 GRT/month for tuna trollers and surface longliners. The financial compensation was fixed at € 1 218 750 for a nominal catch of 7 500 t of tuna caught by EU vessels each year. € 50 will be paid for each additional tonne of tuna caught. The community also provided € 418 000 towards financing of scientific and technical programmes. A sum of € 110 000 was provided for studies, training and attachments related to fisheries. The licence fee for a tuna purse seiner was € 1 000, representing a nominal catch of 50 t. For any additional catch caught, the vessel has to pay another € 20/t of tuna caught.
Tuna long-liners from eastern Asian countries are licensed to fish in the waters of Mauritius. The annual licence fee is US$ 2 000 per vessel. Licensing of tuna long-liners started in 1995, with 13 licenses issued, and numbers have grown to 93 licences in 1998.
Tuna transhipment is another important activity in Mauritius. Long-liners from eastern Asia use Port Louis as a transhipment base. Nearly 30 000 t/yr of tuna used to be transhipped in the late 1960s, but this activity has declined to half its original volume. In 1995, 14 772 t of tuna and related species were transhipped through Port Louis, whilst in 1998 the transhipment figure almost doubled. Albacore (Thunnus alalunga) comprises 70-80% of the catch of the long-liners (see table). A total of 468 long-liners called at Port Louis in 1998, of which 333 transshipped their catches whilst the others called in for bunkering, provisions, change of crew and repairs. The majority of the long-liners were from Taiwan (375), and to a lesser extent from Japan (36), Korea (10), Honduras (23) and Belize (24).
Species composition of fish transhipped (t)
|
Year |
Albacore |
Yellowfin |
Bigeye |
Skipjack |
Bluefin |
Swordfish |
Marlin |
Sailfish |
Misc. |
Total |
|
|
1995 |
11 350.0 |
1 144.0 |
565.0 |
16.0 |
0.0 |
668.0 |
496.0 |
0.0 |
533.0 |
14 772.0 |
|
FISH SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR NEXT 25 YEARS
In making a projection for fish supply and demand for the next 25 years, the actual state of the fishery in each sub-sector has been considered and its production potential. It is assumed that annual population growth would be maintained at the present level of 0.1% of the population through agressive birth control programmes. Rising standards of living coupled with health considerations would lead to a gradual increase in fish consumption. However, as fish production from capture fisheries is not expected to increase significantly and the cost of production from aquaculture may rise, the price of fish in general will rise, thus constraining any large increase in fish demand. The per caput fish consumption of 19 kg/year may reach 20 kg in 2000, and have a subsequent 2 kg increase every 5 years in order to reach 30 kg/year in 2025. Fish imports, which are 60%, will continue to supply the local market to a significant extent, but decrease to a level of 35%. The demand and sub-sector supply for fish and fish products, along with projected demographic growth and per caput fish consumption is presented below.
Demand in fish and fishery products to 2025
|
Parameter |
1998 |
2000 |
2005 |
2010 |
2015 |
2020 |
2025 |
|
Per caput fish consumption (kg) |
19 |
20 |
22 |
24 |
26 |
28 |
30 |
|
Population (million) |
1.167 |
1.169 |
1.175 |
1.181 |
1.187 |
1.193 |
1.199 |
|
Fish demand (t) |
22 173 |
23 380 |
25 850 |
28 344 |
30 862 |
33 404 |
35 970 |
|
Imports (t) |
13 318 |
14 105 |
15 035 |
14 869 |
15 112 |
13 829 |
12 495 |
|
% Imports |
60 |
60 |
58 |
52 |
49 |
41 |
35 |
|
% Local produce |
40 |
40 |
42 |
48 |
51 |
59 |
65 |
Projected total fish production to 2025 (tonnes)
|
Year |
1998 |
2000 |
2005 |
2010 |
2015 |
2020 |
2025 |
|
Nearshore Fisheries |
|||||||
|
Artisanal
fishery |
1 229 |
1 350 |
1 400 |
1 500 |
1 600 |
1 650 |
1 700 |
|
Total |
2 179 |
2 350 |
25 500 |
2 900 |
3 400 |
3 700 |
4 050 |
|
Offshore Fisheries |
|||||||
|
Banks
|
3 539 |
3 600 |
3 800 |
4 000 |
4 200 |
4 200 |
4 200 |
|
Total |
6 570 |
6 810 |
8 125 |
10 400 |
12 150 |
15 650 |
19 175 |
|
Aquaculture |
|||||||
|
Ponds |
93 |
100 |
110 |
125 |
150 |
175 |
200 |
|
Total |
106 |
115 |
140 |
175 |
200 |
225 |
250 |
|
Grand total |
8 855 |
9 275 |
10 815 |
13 475 |
15 750 |
19 575 |
23 475 |
ORGANISATIONAL
STRUCTURE
OF THE NATIONAL FISHERIES AUTHORITY
ORGANIGRAM OF THE MINISTRY OF FISHERIES AND COOPERATIVES
ORGANIGRAM
OF THE FISHERIES PROTECTION SERVICE
ORGANIGRAM OF THE ALBION FISHERIES RESEARCH CENTRE
