Since it wants to position itself as a regional seafood hub, Mauritius is well advised to fight against the illegal export of tuna. It is not only a matter of protecting the marine resources of the region but also of preserving our reputation with our eventual importers. The Mauritian authorities, with the assistance of the European Union (EU), seem ready to do their best to fight the looting of marine resources.

The EU is financing a project set up by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) for Rs 120 million to help fight illegal fishing activities in the South Western region of the Indian Ocean while France has already allocated Rs 40 million to Reunion with the same aim.

Six ships vanished from Port-Louis

Two experts from the Marine Resources Assessment (MRA) are in Mauritius to set up an administrative framework common to all members of the IOC to regulate fisheries. David Ardill and Neil Ansell will have to implement a mechanism that should allow the customs, the National Coast Guard and the ministry of Fisheries to cooperate in the fight against illegal exporting.

The Tuna Commission of the Indian Ocean, which includes not only IOC members but also other countries of the region, is in charge of the follow-up. This commission has already made list of ships allowed to operate in the region as well as another of the 60 “illegal, unreported, unrecorded vessels” operating in the Indian Ocean. In this context, the harbour authorities have interdicted six ships suspected of illegal tuna fishing from using the harbour’s facilities. They have stopped in the harbour in the past but the authorities do not know if they came in to refuel or to transfer fish. Moreover, the ships have vanished since the authorities received the list.

David Arvill’s is optimistic about the effect on the seafood hub, “If legislation and information transfer are well adapted and if there’s an efficient surveillance and inspection system in all the harbours of the region, we should manage to deal with illegal fishing without it being too expansive”.

According to the government, as well as some producers such as Thon des Mascareignes, the seafood hub is no longer a project; it has already become reality. Mauritius has all the necessary infrastructure and raw materials to boost the sector. A special effort should be made regarding marketing – it should be bradcast worldwide that Mauritius can become a major exporter of tuna – and that success is guaranteed! This is why some stakeholders of the sector are attending the European Seafood Exhibition, which is on at the moment in Brussels.