Preparation of Seychelles' Fisheries Sector Policy, Strategy and Development Plan

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Preparation of Seychelles’ Fisheries Sector Policy, Strategy and Development Plan

• Background

The Fisheries Policy of the Government of Seychelles was last drafted and approved in 2005. At that time, both the industrial and artisanal fisheries in Seychelles were still in the development stage and the policy reflected the needs to promote both the development and conservation of our marine resources as well as maximizing benefits.

After recovering from the piracy at the turn of the decade, the industrial tuna fishery has now stabilised in terms of catches and fleet size, with the quotas recently introduced to rebuild stocks of the most valuable species. Seychelles semi-industrial tuna fishing fleet has grown rapidly in recent years but now faces constraints in services, inputs and market access, while needing to compete with the industrial fleets for depleted stocks of some species. The artisanal fishery, which is critical for food security, remains largely open access and is heavily overcapitalised. Catch rates are declining and key demersal species are at risk of overfishing. Aquaculture development is also high on the Government’s agenda and a development master plan is being prepared for this subsector, with its related policy recently approved. There have been improvements in value-added processing and services, but challenges remain in terms of cold chain management, local capacity and access to markets.

The fisheries sector must also be placed within the context of Seychelles’ commitment to conservation targets and sustainable (Blue Economy) development agenda, which provide the impetus for public and private sector-led reforms and investments in sustainable fishing, and a greater emphasis on governance and rights-based approaches. This context highlights the need for a revised fisheries policy that reflects the current status, challenges and opportunities of the sector.

The 2007-2011 Fisheries Development Plan was developed to spearhead the development of the fisheries sector. By the end of implementation period and the years that followed, no review of the said development plan has been undertaken to assess the success, shortcomings and lessons learnt.

The legislation governing the fisheries sector was recently modernised (Fisheries Act, 2014), while a number of other key policy instruments are currently being developed or are being implemented. These include the Mariculture Master Plan and the Seychelles National Agriculture Investment Plan (2016-2020). Fisheries co-management plan for Mahe Plateau has recently been approved for artisanal fisheries that is important for employment, food and nutrition security and sustainability of the fishery.

In the context of complex and evolving governance challenges, the need for improved gathering and analysis as a decision-support tools for fisheries policy formulation, sector development and management has been recognised.

In the light of these developments, a decision has been taken by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture to review and update the Fisheries Policy, as well as, develop our Fisheries Development Plan by improving their relevance with the current status and changing nature of all aspects of fisheries in Seychelles. The Fisheries (Sector) Policy will need to incorporate fisheries-related policies have been adopted since 2005, such as the National Food & Nutrition Security Policy of 2013 and the Seychelles National Agricultural Investment Plan (SNAIP). This assignment will therefore contribute to the overall purpose of achieving the Ministry’s vision, which is to promote and strengthen a resilient and sustainable fisheries and agriculture sector that enhances food and nutrition security, contributes to economic growth and respects the natural environment.

• Objectives of the Consultancy

The Fisheries Policy will provide the basis for the necessary legal and administrative framework and guidelines to best inform decision making for the sector, while respecting and strengthening existing commitments, rules, and regulations regarding sustainability, food security and safety, as well as trade of fish and fish products. Further to this, the Fisheries Development plan shall spearhead the development of the fisheries sector.

The specific objectives of the consultancy are to:

• Review progress in the sector against the 2005 Fisheries Policy and draft a new policy comprising goals and objectives that reflect development, challenges and needs across fisheries, aquaculture and other sectors over the next 10 years;

• Through a highly consultative process, develop comprehensive policy strategy and sector development plan to achieve the revised policy goals and objective

​3. Scope of Work

The consultancy firm will operate under the overall supervision and in close cooperation with the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture and the Seychelles Fishing Authority. The policy, strategy and development plan will be prepared through a highly participatory process driven by both public and private sector representatives of all fisheries-related activities as well as wider civil society representatives. To this end, a Steering Committee comprised equally of public and private sector representatives will be convened to guide the process.

The main tasks of the consultancy will include, but are not limited to:

• Review and critically analyze progress in the fisheries sector against the 2005 Fisheries Policy, Strategy, and its associated Fisheries Development Plan 2007-2011, and taking into account the country’s other fisheries-related activities, management plans and programs;

• Engage with stakeholders (public and private sector, CSOs, NGOs, etc) on priorities for the fisheries and related sectors, and identify gaps or areas of the existing policy framework that require improvement and strengthening;

• Develop options for policy goals and objectives. Conduct meetings and workshops, hosted by the Ministry, to select and prioritise goals and objectives, and to ensure their coherence with other policy frameworks. Draft the Policy document (and Cabinet Memorandum);

• On the basis of the Cabinet-approved policy, develop a strategy for policy implementation and a fisheries sector development plan[1]. Select an appropriate result-based approach for the design and implementation of the strategy and development plan;

• Convene and manage technical working groups to elaborate different components of the strategy and development plan;

• Organise and host a workshop to validate the strategy and fisheries development plan, draft the strategy and plan documents, including memorandum for ministerial and cabinet approval.

• Deliverables

The consultant is required to furnish the following deliverables for the Fisheries Policy, Strategy the Fisheries Development Plan:

• An Inception Report which should be discussed with and approved by the Consultancy Steering Committee;

• An interim report focusing on progress of work done;

• The first draft of the reviewed fisheries policy, strategy, and development plan;

• Conduct an validation workshop, and deliver a fisheries policy and strategy validation meeting report;

• Conduct workshop to present:

• Outcome of the 2007-2011 development plan;

• Lessons learnt;

• Draft 2019-2024 development plan.

• The final draft of the policy and strategy by taking into account the deliberations of the validation workshop and comments from the Ministry & SFA;

• Final draft of the2019-2024 Fisheries Development Plan and submission to the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture;

• A consultancy completion report and finalized documents.