RAISE THE ALARM - MEXA (Mauritius...which is arising consumer awareness definitely guarantees light at the end of the tunnel. Our seafood industry is the flagship of our economy. Both

1THE EXPORTER | ISSUE 18 | DEC 17

I S S U E

018D E C 2 0 1 7

A PUBLICATION OF

R A I S E T H E ALARMUNDERSTANDING THE SUSTAINABILITY OF OUR SEAFOOD SECTOR

INTERVIEW WITH PATRICE ROBERT

MONITORING OF OUR WATERS (EEZ)

04 CHAIRMAN’S EDITORIAL 06 GOVERNMENT’S

PERSPECTIVE ON SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD INDUSTRY

10 INTERVIEW – PATRICE ROBERT

12 MONITORING OF OUR EEZ16 MAURITIAN SEAFOOD

SECTOR – ACHIEVEMENTS: 2016-2017

TODAY’S SHIPMENT

CHIEF EDITOR | LILOWTEE RAjMUN-jOOSERY / CONTRIBUTING EDITOR | KAjAL RAGOBUR / DESIGNED BY | CREAD / PRINTER | TPRINTERS / ISSN NUMBER | 1694-0733

18 NO FISH, NO INDUSTRY.21 SUSTAINABLE GOALS TO

SUPPORT GROWTH IN THE MAURITIAN SEAFOOD SECTOR

24 THE FISHERY IMPROVEMENT PROjECT: A PRINCES TUNA (MAURITIUS) SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE

27 AFRITEX FISHING LTD

28 L’AVENIR DE L’AQUACULTURE À MAURICE

30 IN THE REGION: THE REUNION ISLAND FISHERIES SECTOR

31 IN THE REGION: SEYCHELLES FISHERIES SECTOR

34 MEXA COUNCIL 2017

SUSTAINABILITY IN THE SEAFOOD SECTOR

Mother Nature has gifted us with resources, e.g. water, clay, coal, fish, etc. for the benefit and growth of mankind. People utilise our natural resources without realising that these resources have got a life in themselves. Sheer exploitation to the extent of abuse often leads to depletion or extinction.

That’s where the vital importance of sustainability comes in. The concept of sustainability is about “… the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs” [World Commission on Environment & Development, WCEB 1987].

Fortunately for mankind, there is a growing awareness of the need to manage the stock of the natural resources in a responsible way to ensure its sustainable future. The surge of activists or sustainability professionals which is arising consumer awareness definitely guarantees light at the end of the tunnel.

Our seafood industry is the flagship of our economy. Both policy makers and private sector hold high hopes on this industry. More so that the seafood sector is the low-hanging fruit of the emerging ocean economy, which is to become the next economic pillar of our country.

But the hard fact of the seafood industry is “No Fish, No Industry”. Seafood sustainability is the full-stop of the seafood sentence.

The Exporter sheds light on the inside of the seafood industry and strategic importance of seafood sustainability.

Lilowtee Rajmun-Joosery

EDITOR’S MESSAGEARE ouR nAtuRAl REsouRcEs infinitE?

Dear Readers,

It is indeed an honour for me to be elected Chairman of MEXA. I would like to seize this opportunity to thank all the members of MEXA for their faith and trust placed in me. I am very much aware of the challenging task that this responsibility implies given the positive transformational change that MEXA has undergone over the past years.

MEXA has always strived to maintain a positive working relationship with all its stakeholders including the Government, for the advancement of the export sector. In return, recognition to MEXA is building on, and today our stakeholders see MEXA as a dynamic, trustworthy and reliable organisation. All the budgetary measures allocated to the export sector in the last two budget exercises are definitely a testimony to the above statement.

We must say that the first 9 months of 2017 has been a period of daunting challenges for the export sector so much that economists see it as a “perfect storm year”. The main reason is attributed to the difficult global situation prevailing in our main markets. BREXIT continued to have a negative impact on our export sector coupled with a sluggish consumption market in UK, Europe and South Africa.

The Mauritian exports registered an exceptionally significant drop of around 10% from Rs 39,533 million to Rs 35,628 million in the first semester of 2017 as compared to the corresponding period in 2016. More worrying is that exports have gone down both in value and in volume. An overview from a product perspective

CHAIRMAN’S EDITORIAL


shows that this decline is mainly attributed to a decrease in the Textile & Apparel and the Jewellery, Watch & Diamond sectors.

While the T&A sector is the main product of export from Mauritius, representing 54% of our total exports, this important engine of our export manufacturing sector has gone down by more than 13% from Jan-Jun 2017 against the same period in 2016. Out of which, textile yarns and fabrics and articles of apparel dropped by 2.25% and 14% respectively.

Likewise, the Jewellery, Watch & Diamond sector which has an annual turnover of around Rs 5.5 billion and is the 3rd largest export sub-sector of Mauritius, recorded a major decline of around 40% during that period. This is mainly due to the weaker-than-expected growth in customer demand for luxury products in the international markets.

Notwithstanding the difficult global economic situation, the export sector has also experienced a major appreciation of the Mauritian rupee against our main trading partners’ currencies (EUR, GBP and USD). Since the last 9 months, the US dollar which represents more than 50% of our total exports revenue, has depreciated by around 10% against our Mauritian rupee. Altogether, the export sector has registered a shortfall of Rs 5 billion rupees in the first 9 months of 2017, given the appreciation of the USD, GBP and the euro against our local currency.

MEXA made several representations to the Government and the Bank of Mauritius in view of addressing this issue and we are glad to say that once again, we have had the listening ear of

the Government. To provide temporary support to exporters who are facing the impact of the sharp depreciation of the US dollar, the Government has set up an Exchange Rate Support Scheme (ERSS) for the export oriented enterprises. This support will definitely provide a breath of oxygen to the export sector, mainly the small and medium size export companies who have encountered huge exchange currency losses.

At the level of MEXA, we would definitely like to place on record the sustained collaboration of the Government in all our endeavours. The budget exercise 2017-2018 is another testimony to this collaboration. The Government has acceded to MEXA’s request to grant a fiscal benefit to boost exports by helping existing companies to re-invest and the emerging ones to gradually grow their relative share of export.

Before ending, I would like to highlight on our two major projects for this year. First of all, the MEXA CSR Fund has renewed its commitment towards the Lions Club of Port Louis, Fondation Cours Jeanne D’Arc and the Centre pour L’Education et le Progrès des Enfants Handicapés.

Furthermore, as the face of the export sector both locally and internationally, MEXA is currently working on the revamping of its website. Our vision is to make it the window of the export sector to the world while at the same time providing our members with an ideal platform for networking.

I take this opportunity to thank all our members and our stakeholders for their sustained collaboration throughout the year.

“MEXA HAS A GROWING MEMbERSHIP AND IS PROVIDING THEM WITH AN ARRAY OF SERVICES IN TERMS OF TRADE NEGOTIATIONS, EXPORT CREDIT COVER, LObbY WITH THE GOVERNMENT, LAbOuR ISSuES, AMONG OTHERS.”

BEAS CHEEKHOOREEMEXA ChAIrMAN 2017

WhAT IS ThE GOVErNMENT’S VISION ON ThE NATIONAL OCEAN COUNCIL AND ITS IMPOrTANCE IN DEVELOPING ThIS SECTOr TO BECOME ONE OF ThE IMPOrTANT PILLArS OF ThE MAUrITIAN ECONOMY?

The National Ocean Council (NOC) has been set up in line with the Government’s Programme 2015-2019 to make the ocean economy an important industry to sustain economic diversification, job creation and wealth generation. The NOC will thus:

(a) Coordinate technical cooperation and assistance provided by international institutions and foreign experts in the formulation of a National Ocean Policy Paper;

(b) Set up and drive a Government-private sector working group to assess and promote economic activities, capacity building, marine good governance, as well as

GOVERNMENT’S PERSPECTIVE ON SuSTAINAbLE SEAFOOD INDuSTRY

INTERVIEW

Minister P. Koonjoo, Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, Shipping andOuter Islands


other developmental needs of the individual sectors of the ocean economy;

(c) Assess the provision of modern logistics, infrastructure and services for the development of the maritime and shipping industry; and

(d) Formulate a new action plan for the shipping industry that would include developmental opportunities for the maritime training academy, the flagship registry, super yachts, ship repair, and ship maintenance. The focus of the fisheries sector is on fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing, including transhipment amongst others.

CAN YOU EXPLAIN TO US ThE MEASUrES UNDErTAKEN BY YOUr MINISTrY TO ENSUrE ThE SUSTAINABILITY OF ThE MAUrITIAN SEAFOOD SECTOr?

We will first of all have to implement measures which will enable us to achieve sustainable domestic fish resources in accordance with Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) principles and including, where appropriate, ecosystem based fisheries management.

Secondly, we are supporting private sector growth at all stages of the value chain, including fish production, value adding and in supporting industries while at the same time ensuring safe, adequate, good quality seafood for domestic consumption.

The Ministry will have to evolve to a more participatory approach to fisheries management and development all that involves our key stakeholders and recognise the private sector benefits that

accrue from exploitation of Mauritian fisheries resources in funding services to support management. And finally, we will have to support Mauritius’s international obligations in fisheries and marine resource management.

hOW DOES ThE GOVErNMENT INTEND TO DEVELOP ThE AQUACULTUrE SECTOr?

Aquaculture is high on the agenda of the Government and many measures are being taken to support investors and provide professional services for their requests. At the same time, the fishermen community is also being provided with facilities and training for small scale aquaculture projects that will help them earn their livelihood using alternative means.

Moreover, a total of 31 (20 industrial and 11 small scale) sites have been identified and proclaimed in May 2015 for aquaculture development. To promote small-scale aquaculture, a provision of Rs 12.5 million has been made in the Budget of the Ministry for the purchase of 12 floating cage structures to allocate to fishermen cooperatives. The fishers are also provided with fingerlings and the training to carry out the culture. Our lagoons are depleted of fish and the Ministry is carrying out marine ranching to stock the lagoons with different species of fingerlings.

The government is also providing compensation to fishermen/cooperatives to surrender their nets and fishing licenses. In addition, they will be encouraged to take up aquaculture through the provision of floating cages.

MArITIME SUrVEILLANCE IS OF PrIME IMPOrTANCE FOr US. WhAT IS ThE GOVErNMENT DOING TO ENSUrE ThE SECUrITY OF OUr EEZ?

Mauritius is a member of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), SWIOFC, SIOFA and CCAMLR. As such it implements all its resolutions and recommendations. Mauritius has also prepared its National Plan of Action (NPOA-IUU) in line with the FAO IPOA-IUU to prevent, deter and eliminate IUU fishing. It is in line with the policy of the Government to fight IUU fishing.

A special unit, known as the Port State Control Unit, has also been set up to monitor all fishing vessels calling into port including local, licenced or non-licenced fishing vessels in relation to their fishing activities such as fishing methods and positions, catch by species and vessel characteristics.

It is also good to note that Mauritius is participating in the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC-MCS) Regional Project, “Regional Plan for Fisheries Surveillance in the South West Indian Ocean”, for monitoring control and surveillance of the EEZ of the IOC member States. Mauritius is party to a number of agreements and contributes to the conservation and management measures of available resources.

And the Fisheries Division of my ministry has started its observer programme on purse seiners in line with the requirements of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission resolutions.


PATRICERObERT

TOdAy, iT iS A KnOwn fACT THAT THE GOvERnmEnT iS pROmOTinG THE SEAfOOd induSTRy And HAS AS OBJECTivE TO TRAnSfORm mAuRiTiuS inTO A wORLd-CLASS SEAfOOd HuB. wHAT ARE yOuR viEwS?

The seafood industry is among the first industries in the history of Mauritius, even before the Independence of our country, and before the emergence of our textile and tourism industries. It has always been an important element of our economy, even if it is only since a few years, that it has gathered higher visibility. Mauritius has an important EEZ of 2.3km² and up to now, its potential of development has not been really explored. We are yet to learn what are the fish and about the seafood species that are available for a sustainable exploitation because we believe that its potential contribution to the economy is enormous.

“THE FAO HAS ESTAbLISHED THAT EVERY YEAR, Iuu FISHING ACCOuNTS FOR MORE THAN 26 MILLIONS OF TONS OF FISH FOR AN ESTIMATED VALuE OF uSD 23 bILLION.”

INTERVIEW

Chairman of MEXA Seafood Council and Chief Operating OfficerIBL Seafood


THE SEAfOOd SECTOR iS nOT OnLy COmpOSEd Of THE TunA induSTRy. wHAT ARE THE OTHER ECOnOmiC ACTiviTiES LinKEd TO THiS SECTOR And HOw CAn wE dEvELOp THEm fuRTHER?

It is true that despite the fact that tuna has a prominent position in our seafood industry, there are other strong possibilities on the non-tuna segment. Mauritius is an interesting base of operations for the tooth-fish industry. Operators have been using our port to unload and re-export their catches since quite a couple of years. tooth-fish, ice-fish are cold-water fish that are caught in the Antarctic region.

We need to encourage operators to do their processing in Mauritius and also give them the possibility of selling them on the local market. This segment of the industry is also a case-study of how well sustainability can be achieved alongside economic development.

Mauritius is also a base for ship building and repairs and this segment of the industry contributes to the attractiveness of our island as a seafood hub and also creates high quality technical jobs for Mauritians.

By-catch represents a strong potential for further transformation as well as help to build up the competitive advantage of our port. Seychelles, for instance, is already working around the business opportunities around its by-catch. However, for Mauritius, there are certain collateral issues concerning by-catch which are still very sensitive and need to be addressed with our policy makers.

mAuRiTiuS HAS A RiCH mARiTimE zOnE Of 2.3 miLLiOn Km² TO mAnAGE. ACCORdinG TO yOu, in TERmS Of SuRvEiLLAnCE, ARE wE dOinG EnOuGH TO pROTECT OuR wATERS?

Maritime surveillance goes hand in hand with the sustainable exploitation of the ocean. When rules and regulations are adopted, you need to have the means to ensure that they are being enforced.

The FAO has established that every year, IUU (Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated) fishing accounts for more than 26 millions of tons of fish for an estimated value of 23 billion USD. IUU fishing also occurs in the Indian Ocean and it is the duty of each and every state to ensure the protection of its waters. It is difficult for a small country like ours, to cover 2.3 million km².

The Coast Guards have to undertake quite a number of different missions, and the fight against illegal fishing is one among them. Why not then consider the creation of a dedicated surveillance fleet against IUU fishing, like it is the case in other neighbouring countries, like Madagascar, for instance?

Mauritius is already equipped with the VMS system, now all we would need to have is a dedicated fleet of patrol vessels whose sole mission would be to deter illegal fishing in our EEZ.

THE GROwTH Of THE SEAfOOd SECTOR dEpEndS On iTS SuSTAinABLE dEvELOpmEnT TO wHiCH ExTEnT, ACCORdinG TO yOu, iS THE SEAfOOd SECTOR AffECTEd By THiS ASpECT Of SuSTAinABLE dEvELOpmEnT.

Sustainability is the key-word. Without fish, there will be no food and no industry. If we take the tuna industry, for instance, out of the 4 main species that are harvested in the Indian Ocean, one, the yellow-fin has been classified, as having its stocks in the red, implying that there is over-fishing.

If we take the main markets to which we are exporting, EU and USA, for instance, the pressure from the environmental NGOs is such that the customers are now requesting “sustainable tuna” and the use of fishing methods that will be less detrimental to the environment.

Our role as industry is to alert the Authorities that we, as a country, need to be advocating for a sustainable approach to tuna fishing, otherwise our industry and its associated chain of values will be threatened. And I’m not talking only about the people employed in the factories. There is also the employment factor. For the 7000 direct jobs, there is twice as much there is three times as much indirect jobs that could be affected as well as a consequent part of our economy without mentioning its consequent repercussion of our economy.


MONITORING OF OuR EEZ

mAuRiTiuS ACCEdEd TO THE pORT STATE mEASuRES AGREEmEnT

Demonstrating continued commitment to prevent illegal fishing and the trade of illegal fish products, Mauritius has become the latest African country to accede to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA).

Holding a significant position as a seafood hub in the Western Indian Ocean, the accession and implementation of the PSMA by Mauritius will enable improved capability to stop illegal fishing and bring benefits to the region as a whole.

BuT THE mAin CHALLEnGE iS TO wORK OuT A LEGAL fRAmEwORK And A COORdinATinG mECHAniSm TO SAfEGuARd OuR wATERS And TO pREvEnT THE dESTRuCTiOn Of OuR mARinE RESOuRCES

This joint venture with Seychelles becomes more challenging in the wake of growing threats of piracy, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU Fishing), marine pollution and sea rise level. Evidently, this will require fisheries patrol and maritime surveillance of our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

“There are several means of monitoring and control of the fisheries such as port inspection and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS)” states Mr S. Soondron, Director of Fisheries.

vESSEL mOniTORinG SySTEm (vmS)

The VMS has been set up since 2005. All local fishing boats and vessels including carrier vessels and foreign licensed fishing boats and vessels have to abide by the VMS regulations under which they have to transmit VMS information every 2 hours to the Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC).

The VMS can monitor the positions, speeds and directions of fishing vessels through satellite-based tracking systems. The data collected is then stored at the FMC and transmitted to the National Coast Guard and the NCG Maritime Air Squadron.

Are we monitoring our waters efficiently?

Despite all measures put in place, there are still some shortcomings which have been noted.

Seychelles for instance, has recently installed electronic monitoring surveillance cameras on two of its purse seiners in a way of doing electronic monitoring system. On the other side, South Africa’s maritime security strategy includes satellites which produce the most optimal coverage of its complete EEZ and adjacent oceans, enhancing safety and making it easier to detect illegal activities.

Back to Mauritius, the Ministry of Fisheries believes that a modern satellite system would be the ideal way to monitor our waters.

However, from the private sector point of view, the above recommendation will not solve the problem. Mr Noel Rault, Operations Manager of the IBL Fishing & Port Agency declares that “the satellite system will solve only half of the problem because it will only give the position of the fishing vessel in the ocean but will not be able to determine whether the fish has been caught outside our territorial waters. For me, the best thing to do is to have a fisheries observer on each vessel.”

The fisheries observer is in fact an independent specialist who collects all types of at-sea information, such as nationality of vessel, catch composition and trip reports, etc. And, according to Mr Rault, the observer will have to be employed by an international or regional convention like the IOTC.

It is to be noted that the Maritime Air Squadron also plays an important role in maritime surveillance of our EEZ and carries out important missions such as outer islands support, search and rescue operations and casualty evacuation.

But on the other side, both Mr S. Soondron and Mr N. Rault agreed that a closer and more efficient collaboration between the Ministry of Fisheries, the National Coast Guard and other key stakeholders would definitely help us in monitoring our waters more efficiently and also to combat IUU Fishing.

Mauritius has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.9 million km² following the adoption of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1982. The co-management of 396,000 km² of the continental shelf, with the Republic of Seychelles, enables us, henceforth, to rank among the largest economic territories in the world with a total EEZ area of 2.3 million km².

The 2.3 million km² of exploitable marine resources does not only provide Mauritius with huge maritime zone to manage but also holds a massive potential for the development of the economy.

Current measures put in place to ensure proper monitoring of our EEZ


MAuRITIAN SEAFOODSECTORACHIEVEMENTS:2016 - 2017


yEAR2016 2017*

QuAnTiTy AmOunT (BiLLiOn RS.) QuAnTiTy AmOunT

(BiLLiOn RS.)

TUrNOVEr 25.03 15.12

IMPOrTS 184,000 11.156 90,000 5.433

EXPOrTS 137,474 14.079 65,310 6.839

rEVENUE FrOM SEAFOOD EXPOrT 66,138 10.029 31,415 5.072

rE-EXPOrTS OF FISh AND FISh PrEPArATIONS 69,369 3.906 33,895 1.767

TrADE BALANCE 2.923 1.406

LOCAL PrODUCTION OF FISh AND FISh PrODUCTS 15,508 3.4 16,651 3.7

AQUACULTUrE 1,017

CONTrIBUTION TO GDP 1.6%

CONTrIBUTION TO NATIONAL EXPOrTS 18.1% 19.2%

FIShING LICENSES 277 0.021 112 0.009

rEVENUE FrOM CALLING FIShING VESSELS 734 7.34 459 4.59

TrANSShIPMENT 58,366 23,259

PEr CAPITA CONSUMPTION

EMPLOYMENT IN SEAFOOD PrOCESSING 6,000 6,000

EMPLOYMENT DIrECTLY LINKED TO FIShING ACTIVITIES IN MAUrITIUS EEZ (INCLUDING rODrIGUES)

6,000 6,000

INDIrECT EMPLOYMENT IN ThE SEAFOOD SECTOr (ANCILLArY SErVICES) 10,000 10,000

pROduCTiOn inTERmEdiARiES inTERmEdiARiES pROCESSinG (mAin) pROCESSinG(SECOndARy) diSTRiBuTiOnLOGiSTiCS LOGiSTiCSpROduCTiOn

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SOuRCE: BOARd Of invESTmEnT

NO FISHNO INDuSTRYSUSTAINABILITY hAS BECOME ThE KEY-WOrD WhEN IT COMES TO ThE TUNA INDUSTrY. ThE MAUrITIAN TUNA ChAIN OF VALUE DEPENDS hEAVILY ON ThE STATE OF ThE TUNA STOCKS FOr ITS DEVELOPMENT. ThIS IS WhY, TOGEThEr WITh ThE MAUrITIAN GOVErNMENT, ThE INDUSTrY ThrOUGh MEXA IS ADVOCATING FOr A SUSTAINABLE APPrOACh TO TUNA FIShING IN ThE INDIAN OCEAN.

ThE INDIAN OCEAN IS ThE SECOND OCEAN IN TErMS OF TUNA FIShING, WITh MOrE ThAN A MILLION TONS OF TUNA CAUGhT IN 2015, ThUS rEPrESENTING 20% OF ThE WOrLD TUNA CATChES. ONLY PArT OF ThIS FISh IS BEING PrOCESSED IN MAUrITIUS, ThE rEMAINDEr BEING rE-EXPOrTED, CONSUMED BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES OF ThE INDIAN OCEAN BASIN, Or PrOCESSED IN SEYChELLES AND MADAGASCAr.

By Véronique Garrioch, Relationships Manager, IBL Seafood & Marine Operations


BUT hOW ArE ThESE STOCKS MONITOrED?

It is the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) that works to achieve the management of the tuna stocks by promoting cooperation among its members in order to ensure the adoption of conservation measures. There are 32 member-countries and their mode of adopting regulatory measures is by consensus during the yearly meeting of the Commission.

In December 2015, the Scientific Committee of the IOTC classified the stocks of the yellowfin as being overfished and subject to overfishing. This information sent a strong signal about the necessity to adopt more strict management and control measures.

WhY IS SUSTAINABILITY SO IMPOrTANT?

Besides the obvious about still having tuna for the future generations, sustainability has become a key issue for different reasons. From a Mauritian perspective, one of the main reasons is a social and economic one: more than 7,000 people are employed directly in the manufacturing and associated value chain and more than 15, 000 indirect jobs would be at stake if there were no fish in a near future.

The revenues generated by the tuna industry represent roughly Rs 13.5 billion, approximately 1.3% of the GDP. Heavy investments were done both in public and private infrastructure and equipment.

WhAT IS BEING DONE?

Princes Tuna Mauritius and other participants, with the support of WWF, have initiated a Fishery Improvement Project in the Indian Ocean. This initiative has been launched in Seychelles, through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding. The Mauritian Government, as well as the Seychelles, are signatories of this MOU. The objective of this project is to meet the sustainability standard set by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for the skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye fisheries.

Mauritius, represented mainly by the Ministry of Fisheries, and supported actively by the private sector, has been proactive in the last three years in proposing resolutions to support its tuna industry at the IOTC. Among these resolutions, there was one that was adopted in May 2015, about the limitation on the number of FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices) deployed by purse seiners. This resolution was a milestone, since IOTC was the first RFMO worldwide to adopt such a measure.

Sustainability is also about protecting the resources and fighting against illegal fishing. Mauritius and its tuna industry can boast about being able to guaranty the full traceability of their products from the fishing area to the end customer. The Mauritian Competent Authority is recognised both by the EU and by the US Authorities, not only for its high levels of sanitary controls, but also for being able to have a full control on the origins of the fish processed.

There is still a lot of work to be done to achieve the goals set for a sustainable management of the tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean. However, the more communication there is, the more willingness is being showed by the different stakeholders involved. Mauritius has taken the lead in terms of proposals made at the IOTC, and this needs to continue by also involving the neighbouring countries and the fishing fleets that share the same concerns for the future of our Ocean.


SuSTAINAbLE GOALS TO SuPPORT GROWTH IN THE MAuRITIAN SEAFOOD SECTOR

Seafood is considered as the world’s largest traded commodity with global trade estimated at an annual USD 148 billion. There is an increasing appetite for seafood globally, especially from developed countries which account for 63% of fish imports by net value. The global trend of seafood consumption increased from 10 kg in the 1960s to more than 19 kg in 2012. Moreover, the FAO estimates that fish accounts for some 17% of the global population’s intake of protein – this can hike up to 70% in coastal regions and island states. FAO estimates also suggest that fisheries and aquaculture support the livelihoods of 10-12% of the world’s population.

However, despite the hike in seafood consumptions, levels of fish catches in the wild have remained roughly stable since the mid-1990s, close to 90-93 million tons annually. The United Nation Food and Agriculture Organization foresees little chance of any significant increase beyond these levels. This represents a clear opportunity for countries endowed with large untapped Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) like Mauritius to emerge as a global supplier of seafood products by taking advantage of the growing demand gap.

Currently, the Mauritian seafood sector contributes to around 1.4% of the country’s GDP and total employment is estimated at 16,000. Local canneries and processing facilities process the majority of the 150,000 tons of tuna and related species handled by the sector annually.

Tuna and tuna-like species are fished in our EEZ mainly by purse seiners from Europe and longliners from South-East Asia. The development of the seafood industry was sustained by modern port and logistics facilities including fishing quays, cold rooms and processing facilities among others.

This contributed in the positioning of Mauritius in the global tuna industry. The country is one amongst the two biggest African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) exporters of canned tuna to the European Union market. Mauritius also ranks 3rd for overall EU canned tuna external supply both for volume and value of overall EU tuna loins external supply.

Mauritius is committed to sustainable fishing and has already implemented the EC Regulation on IUU Fishing to counter Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing. Moreover, the country is working on strengthening its regulatory framework to ensure sustainable and viable fisheries activities. These include monitoring of fleet fishing capacity and catches to avoid over-exploitation and underestimation of catches, improving collection, management and use of fisheries data for better stock assessment, reinforcement of conservation and management measures, reinforcement of monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) measures and use of appropriate fishing gear by fleets.

The importance of sustainable fishing is two-fold: it ensures preservation of marine food resources and it is a sine qua non criteria to ensure exportability of marine based produce to the EU market. Consequently, ventures in sustainable fishing activities should be viewed as an investment opportunity to target added value markets.

By Mr Drishty ramdenee, Head of Ocean Economy, Board of Investment

“THE IMPORTANCE OF SuSTAINAbLE FISHING IS TWO-FOLD: IT ENSuRES PRESERVATION OF MARINE FOOD RESOuRCES AND IT IS A SINE quA NON CRITERIA TO ENSuRE EXPORTAbILITY OF MARINE bASED PRODuCE TO THE Eu MARkET.”

Moreover, there are a number of investment opportunities in niche segments that support sustainable fishing trends some of which are:

Investments in under “24 metres” long line vessels to target high value species destined for the fresh export market. The objective behind the use of smaller long line vessels is to limit the catch volume and also have more control on the target species. Fishing companies can leverage on the country’s excellent logistics facilities at the freeport and air connectivity to supply chilled fish on international markets at a premium value due to the reduced lead time;

Aquaculture also holds high investment potentials. Mauritius is anchored in one of the world’s cleanest oceans and the government has enlisted 31 sites to develop aquaculture projects both in and off lagoon. The aim is to target large scale projects in line with international environmental norms to supplement the local seafood industry and reduce stress on wild catch;

Provision of temporal data acquisition systems such as initial GPS ship positioning, drifting direction and time, number, weight and types of fish for equipping fishing vessels. Considering the migratory nature of tuna like fish species, such data will provide better assessment of fish resources according to time and space resulting in targeted fishing and availability of data to ensure preservation of resources.

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Princes Limited has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) pertaining to tuna purse-seine fishing in the Indian Ocean region. The aim of the FIP is to achieve measurable and verifiable improvements in order to meet or exceed the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) standard for sustainable fisheries.

At this stage, the key partners of the FIP are the Republic of Seychelles, the World Wide Fund for Nature, Princes Limited and Thai Union Europe, while the Republic of Mauritius has expressed its interest in joining the project. The key partners have been working on an Action Plan, in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature.

The plan will outline the major activities, improvement areas, action plan and key performance indicators that all partners will have to commit. It will seek to achieve a number of best practices, including healthy fish stocks, minimal and reversible impact on ecosystems, and effective management of the fishery.

The FIP will cover the catches of skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tuna species and support the recovery plan of the yellowfin stock in the Indian Ocean. Princes, together with its FIP partners, will also be working closely with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to improve fisheries governance in the region.

“Being a signatory of the MoU pertaining to the FIP, Princes reaffirms its commitment to the long-term sustainability of tuna fishing, ensuring future health of tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean. Further to this, we want to ensure that the tuna stocks the company purchases from purse-seine vessels in the Indian Ocean are also participating in the FIP, ” says Phillip Ryle, Managing Director of Princes Tuna Mauritius. So far, the FIP is expected to involve around 40 French, Italian, Spanish, Mauritian and Seychelles-flagged purse seine vessels.

Along with the Republic of Mauritius, several producer organisations and companies have also shown interest in joining the FIP.

THE FISHERY IMPROVEMENT PROjECT A PRINCES TuNA (MAuRITIuS) SuSTAINAbILITY INITIATIVE


EMERGinGsEAfooD sEctoRs

BREAKER PAGE

EMERGING SEAFOOD SECTOR


AFRITEX FISHING LTDCAN YOU DESCrIBE TO US ThE ACTIVITIES OF AFrITEX VENTUrES?

Afritex Ventures is a global fishing company with strategic investments in African-based operations that market seafood to a global base of customers. Through its subsidiary companies, Afritex operates two premium longline tuna and swordfish operations with a current fleet of nine longline fishing vessels – one operation in Mauritius and the other one is in Beira, Mozambique.

Our trawler operations is in Maputo, Mozambique with a fleet of 3 fishing trawlers from which we yield our high-end shellfish range and our substantial global retail business in South Africa, sourcing seafood for some of Africa’s largest retailers. Afritex will also be launching an all-encompassing food-trading platform in the near future, which will take food trading to a new level of efficiency and professionalism.

AFrITEX FIShING hIGhLY BELIEVES IN MODErN FIShING TEChNIQUES AS A MEASUrE TO COMBAT IUU FIShING AND hAS ThErEFOrE EQUIPPED ITS ShIPS WITh NEW TEChNOLOGIES. CAN YOU TELL US MOrE ABOUT IT?

Afritex believes that the cornerstone of a successful fishing company is the implementation of sustainable fishing policies. The major principle of sustainability is traceability and we have

pioneered a unique tagging system that can be used by our global clients to trace the fish they purchase down to the 6-hour window in which the fish was landed. This unique electronic platform is further enhanced by a web based application making it simple to use.

Furthermore, onboard catch techniques ensure a higher yield per hook of target species and the significant reduction of by-catch species. It is also important when developing fisheries in new areas to log daily environmental parameters as well as to track catches. The added information helps to determine CPUE (Catch per Unit of Effort) and seasonal movements as related to environmental conditions. Once determined in terms of kg/hook produced, information can be compared to cost per hook and areas fished to determine most and least productive areas.

Our skippers track and compile a database by means of daily logs including (date, year, time of set, time of retrieval, catch by species, amount of live fish, tag numbers of live fish, weather conditions,

“AFRITEX bELIEVES THAT THE CORNERSTONE OF A SuCCESSFuL FISHING COMPANY IS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF SuSTAINAbLE FISHING POLICIES.”

By Natasha Finlayson Group Marketing Manager, Afritex Ventures Ltd

sea surface temperature, moon phase, barometric pressure and trends , plankton concentrations, depth fished, bait type and size, hook type, total hooks, total mainline, total floats, etc). The objective is to ensure continuity of supply through sound fishing principles and support the Government’s efforts to protect the natural resources from overfishing and IUU fishing.

CAN YOU GIVE US A DESCrIPTION OF ThE OPErATIONS ThAT AFrITEX FIShING LTD CArrIES OUT IN MAUrITIUS?

Afritex Fishing Ltd is one of our two longline fishing operations and is a Mauritian registered company, with state-of-the-art commercial quay-side operations in Port Louis. This facility will have an on-site ice plant with the capacity to manufacture up to 25 metric tons of ice per day and stores 60 metric tons. We have our own fleet of longline fishing vessels which fish in the nutrient rich EEZ waters of Mauritius. The primary focus of Afritex Fishing Ltd is on the export of premium quality fresh tuna and swordfish by air, as well as processing and value adding of tuna, swordfish, dorado and other associated by-catch into a value-added range of retail-ready products.

Une connaissance approfondie des types d’élevage, des espèces, des bonnes pratiques sont nécessaires pour notamment contrer les nuisances éventuelles. Ces bonnes pratiques sont en cours de travail avec l’aide du Mauritius Standards Bureau, il nous faudra les faire connaitre au plus grand public souhaitant se lancer dans le domaine et les mettre en place pour tout type d’élevage à Maurice.

déCRivEz-nOuS LES ACTiviTéS dE LA fERmE mARinE dE mAHEBOuRG

Au cours des 16 dernières années, on a développé un savoir-faire considérable dans l’élevage des poissons dans les eaux mauriciennes. FMM a investi dans la technologie de l’écloserie, la sélection des « broodstock » et la conception des cages appropriées pour adapter à l’environnement de l’aquaculture de Maurice. Afin d’assurer la viabilité à long terme, FMM doit croître inexorablement en volume. Telle est la règle du jeu dans l’aquaculture. FMM a donc lancé un plan d’expansion avec objectif de stimuler sa production à 3,000 tonnes par an dans les années à venir. QuELS SOnT LES défiS AuxQuELS fOnT fACE LE SECTEuR dE L’AQuACuLTuRE ET L’éLEvAGE dE pOiSSOnS ? L’état des stocks de la pêche traditionnelle est clairement en baisse et la perspective de voir le stock de poissons sauvages sur nos étales augmenter est exclue par tous les observateurs. L’aquaculture quand à elle, a encore des multiples perspectives de développement. Une demande locale et mondiale se concrétise fortement et de nombreux pays voisins suivent cette prédiction en investissant dans ce secteur.

L’AVENIR DE L’AquACuLTuRE À MAuRICE

Le gouvernement mauricien a pour objectif de développer une économie océanique pour créer de l’emploi. Mais il est essentiel de créer un environnement propice pour que l’industrie puisse se développer durablement. Aussi, certains ne se soucient pas de l’impact que cela peut avoir sur l’environnement, à travers la destruction des mangroves et des pollutions diverses. Il faut distinguer ces aquacultures abusives en développant une prise de conscience par une structure scientifique et relayé par des professionnels. COmmEnT, SELOn vOuS, pOuRRAiT-On REnfORCiR CE SECTEuR d’AvAnTAGE ? Pour cela nous devons développer nos compétences humaines et techniques. Des filières de formation spécifique à l’aquaculture sont à renforcer par la formation professionnelle dans ce domaine. La Ferme Marine de Mahebourg met en place un comité formé de professionnels de l’étranger et locals pour mettre à plat les observations faite dans le lagon. Cette initiative doit être suivie par des études locales sur la connaissance de l’activité et de son environnement.

« DES FILIèRES DE FORMATION SPéCIFIquES À L’AquACuLTuRE SONT À RENFORCER PAR LA FORMATION PROFESSIONNELLE DANS CE DOMAINE. »

By Mr Pierre-Yves SemaesseChief Administrative Officer, Ferme Marine de Mahebourg


IN THE REGION

THE REuNION ISLAND FISHERIES SECTORREuniOn iSLAnd fiSHERiES SECTOR

The Reunion Island‘s Exclusive Economic Zone is relatively large, 351,000 km2, and the continental shelf is limited to a narrow band around the island with a total estimated area of 182 km2.

fiSHERiES SECTOR

Fishery resources in Reunion Island are dominated by pelagic species, including tunas, swordfish, various billfish, mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus), as well as some pelagic sharks. There have been some attempts to initiate aquaculture in the island, but had limited success.

mAin fiSHinG ACTiviTiES And fLEET STRuCTuRE

The longline fleet is comprised of two distinct groups; coastal vessels less than 10 meters in length, and offshore freezer vessels, producing for local and export markets. These vessels target a range of species of tunas and billfish using surface longlines. The estimated production from this segment was reported to be 2,053 tons in 2012.

SApmER’S AdvEnTuRE in REuniOn iSLAnd

Sapmer is the historical deep-sea fishing operator in the waters of the French Southern and Antarctic Territories (TAAF) based in Reunion Island. Founded in 1947, Sapmer now operates a wholly-owned fleet of four freezer-long liners for Patagonian toothfish and a freezer pot lobster vessel for Rock Lobster and five tuna purse seiners (on board - 40˚C deep freeze) for its tuna fishing activity (yellowfin and skipjack) in the Indian Ocean.

REunipECHE

Reunipeche, specialised in the fishing, cutting and distribution of large deep-sea fish, is considered as the foremost player in Reunion Island’s fishing sector. Its products are sold to the local market and is also exported to France, Spain and South East Asia.

Export accounts for half the company’s turnover, especially in the shape of fresh swordfish and tuna filet. Starting from

“FISHERY RESOuRCES IN REuNION ISLAND ARE DOMINATED bY PELAGIC SPECIES, INCLuDING TuNAS, SWORDFISH, VARIOuS bILLFISH, MAHI MAHI, AS WELL AS SOME PELAGIC SHARkS.”

SEyCHELLES REuniOn iSLAnd

EEz 1.3 M KM² 351 000 KM²

TypE Of fiSH AvAiLABLE Tuna, Yellowfin, Skipjack, etc Tuna, Swordfish, Pelagic Sharks

EmpLOymEnT 5000-6000 jobs 1200 jobs

COnTRiBuTiOn TO Gdp 3% 1.3%

ExpORT TuRnOvER $370 Million EUR 58 Million

2012, Reunipeche is today supplying the Japanese market in Tokyo with 4 tons of fish weekly directly from Reunion Island.


SEYCHELLES FISHERIES SECTORSince the arrival of Seychelles’ first inhabitants, the country has relied on its rich, surrounding waters of 1.3 million km² to support its economy. And today, fishing in Seychelles’s waters has developed into an industry competing internationally as a vital foreign currency earner for Seychelles. Today, Seychelles fisheries sector is one of the country’s top economic drivers, accounting for 30% of the country’s GDP and 17% of employment.

Seychelles lies at the centre of the Western Indian Ocean tuna migratory routes, making it the region’s most efficient hub. It is strategically located for fuel efficiency and the Seychelles port provides 24-hour services with a very low turnaround time.

SEyCHELLES nEw COmmERCiAL fiSHinG QuAy

Since 2014, Seychelles has a 425-metre commercial fishing quay at Ile du Port, a man-made island next to Port Victoria. This new facility provides 5 berthing spots, open to all ship owners as well as a new cold storage and fish processing plants.

It is also important to note that Seychelles hosts the largest tuna-canning factory in the world. Indian Ocean Ltd employs 2,300 people, producing 1.5 million cans of tuna per day.

finAnCinG A SuSTAinABLE fuTuRE

Seychelles is determined to ensure that sustainable fisheries as a pillar of its “Blue Economy” is maintained and protected against the scourge of illegal fishing. Seychelles has developed a detailed management plan for the Mahé Plateau fishery. Successful implementation of the plan, which is estimated to cost USD 10 M, is expected to result in a more economically and financially sustainable fishery.

Moreover, Seychelles became the first country from the African region to adopt the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Agreement, which empowers port states like Seychelles to conduct inspections and prevent the unloading of fish caught in contravention with existing regulations. This is to ensure that illegally harvested fish do not enter commercial trade.

The IOTC resolution binds its members to their responsibilities as port states, flag states and fishing industry to ensure compliance with provisions of the agreement to combat illegal fishing in the region.

“SEYCHELLES IS DETERMINED TO ENSuRE THAT SuSTAINAbLE FISHERIES AS A PILLAR OF ITS bLuE ECONOMY IS MAINTAINED AND PROTECTED AGAINST THE SCOuRGE OF ILLEGAL FISHING.”

SEyCHELLES BEGinS ELECTROniC mOniTORinG uSE On TwO TunA vESSELS

Seychelles has recently installed electronic surveillance cameras on two purse seiners as a way of doing Electronic Monitoring System (EMS). These cameras record in real time for the duration of the fishing trip and the video footage is then viewed by ‘dry observers’ upon arrival at the port.


LIONS CLub OF PORT LOuIS The MEXA CSR Fund Ltd renewed its commitment to the Lions Club of Port Louis for the Corneal Graft project and the Eye Sight Problem detection and distribution of spectacles project.

They will carry out 20 Eye Transplants during the year 2016-2017 at the Moka Eye Hospital.

And the eye sight detection programme was held at Pere Laval RCA where they are planning to distribute 50 spectacles.

CENTRE POuR L’EDuCATION ET LE PROGRèS DES ENFANTS HANDICAPéS

The Board members of the MEXA CSR Fund renewed its contribution made to this school which was used to pay the salary of 3 specialised teachers namely a Physiotherapist, an Occupational Therapist and a Psychologist, whose engagement with the handicapped children are considered vital.

FONDATION COuRS jEANNE D’ARCMishka, Mandinee and Raphael have blossomed thanks to the engagement MEXA CSR Fund took since 2013 to sponsor their education. This engagement was renewed this year as well. MEXA also agreed to renew its sponsorship of the lunch of 21 underprivileged students for 1 year.

LIONS CLUB

Fondation

CENtrE

CSR

Mr Albert WongManaging Director, A&W Wong Ltd

Mr Avinash GoburdhunMEXA Secretary, Executive Director, Wensum Ltd

Mr Beas CheekhooreeMEXA Chairman, General Manager, MCFI

Mr Dominique De FrobervilleChief Executive Officer, Mauritius Freeport Development

Mr Francois De GrivelMEXA Honorary Council Member, FDG Group

Mr Arun Kumaran GayapalEmpak Africa Ltd

Mr Jacquelin DuchenneMEXA Treasurer, Managing Director, Dynachem Ltd

Mr Kendall TangDirector, RT Knits

Mr Guillaume DalaisChairman MEXA HR Committe Executive Director, of Tropic Knits and CDL Knits (CIEL Group)

Mr Naushad EliasDirector, Vector International Ltd

Mr Arif CurrimjeeDirector Le Tricot Ltee

Mr Patrice RobertMEXA Vice Chairman & Chairman MEXA Seafood Council, Chief Operating Officer, IBL Seafood

Mr Philip RyleManaging Director, Princes Tuna (Mauritius) Ltd

Mr Yogesh SinghImmediate Past MEXA Chairman, Director, Explast Ltd

Mr Ahmed ParkarMEXA Honorary Council Member, CEO Star Knitwear Group Ltd

MEXA COuNCIL 2017

Mr Meryl NashMEXA Assistant Treasurer, Associate Director, Esquel (Mauritius) Ltd

Mr Maurice Vigier de LatourMEXA Honorary Council Member, CEO, MVL Marketing Ltd

Mr Ian Tin FookMEXA Assistant Secretary & Chairman MEXA Regional Export Committee, Director T&T International Foods Ltd

Documents

RAISE THE ALARM - MEXA (Mauritius...which is arising consumer awareness definitely guarantees light at the end of the tunnel. Our seafood industry is the flagship of our economy. Both