(Seychelles News Agency) - The latest report of the Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) for 2022 for Seychelles shows there is a willingness for transparency in the sector, said a top official.  

Philippe Michaud, Seychelles national' FiTI lead, made the statement in a press conference on Wednesday.  

"When a government has transparency and participation, it brings interest to the country and Seychelles has gotten a good reputation in the region and globally," said Michaud.

He added that more still needs to be done, especially on available information on the Seychelles' fisheries sector.

Fisheries is the second top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.

The 2022 FiTI Report presents a comprehensive array of data identified by the 12 thematic areas of the FiTI Standard. It has catch statistics across different scales of fishing operations to the health of fish populations, along with detailed information on access agreements and governmental subsidies within the sector.

The report also highlights the dedication of the national fisheries authorities to maintaining robust data collection practices and consistent information sharing with the public.

Daniella Larue compiled the report and headed the consolidation of data for the 2022 FiTI Report.

Seychelles' FiTI National Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) made up of representatives from government, the private sector, and civil society, collectively reviewed and endorsed the report.

"This report is on the transparency in the fisheries sector and not on fisheries itself. This means that when we are working on the report, what is looked at is whether there is information about the 12 thematic areas in the public domain," said Larue.

She added that accessibility to the report also looked at whether the public can make sense of the information or if it is used too much of scientific terminology . 

"The other criteria we look at is whether the information is complete or not, whereby this can affected by various things such as the data collection technique or the technology available to acquire this information," added Larue.

During the 2022 reporting cycle, new information has been made available on government websites, including foreign fishing access agreements.

Among them is a Sustainable Fisheries Agreement with management companies of Seychelles-Flagged vessels; an explanation for absent published procedures for joining the sea cucumber fishery; a list of convictions and offences in the fisheries sector from 2020 to 2023 along with relevant court cases; studies on the economic contribution of sub-sectors in the artisanal fishery; and a 2018 study on employment and job opportunities in the industrial tuna fishery.

"Since 2019 until now, we have seen an increase in the amount of information available, but there still needs to more improvement in what information is available in the public domain," said Larue.  

According to the report, "concerted efforts by the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and the small-scale fisheries sector are driving significant advances towards transparent, sustainable, and inclusive fisheries management."

The report added: "This commitment is underscored by the SFA's decision to release all stock assessment reports and an updated overview of fisheries stock assessments, and to include information on discards and gender in the artisanal fishery in the 2022 Fisheries Statistical Report."

The Fisheries Transparency Initiative (FiTI) has been developed as a unique effort that complements and supports other national, regional and global efforts for achieving responsible fisheries governance.

It is a global partnership that seeks to increase transparency and participation for more sustainable management of marine fisheries.

By making fisheries management more transparent and inclusive, the FiTI promotes informed public debates on fisheries policies and