Overview
Status: Protocol in place
Type of agreement: Tuna
Protocol dates: 24 February 2020 - 23 February 2026
EU total financial contribution: €5,300,000 per year
The EU and Seychelles have a long-standing fisheries partnership, first agreed in 1987.
The sustainable fisheries partnership agreement (SFPA) signed by the European Union and the Republic of Seychelles on 28 February 2020, lasts for six years and can be automatically renewed for another six years. The current fisheries protocol covers the period 24 February 2020 to 23 February 2026.
Financial details
EU financial contribution: €5,300,000 per year, with €2,800,000 dedicated to supporting the sustainable development of Seychelles’ fisheries policy.
Fees for operators: €80 per tonne caught for the two first years, then €85 per tonne from the third to the sixth year of protocol’s application.
- Advance payment for tuna seiners: from €56,000 per year to €59,500 per year depending on the year (equivalent to the fees due for 700 tonnes).
- Advance payment for surface longliners: from €7,200 per year to €7,650 per year depending on the year (equivalent to the fees due for 90 tonnes).
- Environmental management and observation of marine ecosystems contribution for tuna seiners: €2,25 per GT.
Access to waters
Reference tonnage: 50,000 tonnes per year
Fishing access: Vessels from France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain can catch tuna and tuna-like species in Seychelles waters.
| Fishing opportunities (number of vessels) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | France | Italy | Portugal | TOTAL | |
| Tuna seiners | 22 | 16 | 2 | - | 40 |
| Surface longliners | 2 | 4 | - | 2 | 8 |
Sectoral support
The EU provides an envelope of €2,800,000 per year to support the national strategy for sustainable fisheries. It should contribute to good ocean governance and promote responsible, sustainable fishing practices.
EU funding supports the following priorities
- measures for managing fisheries, including support for small-scale fisheries and aquaculture
- sanitary and quality management in the fisheries sector to boost domestic and export capacities
- monitoring, control and surveillance of fisheries to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
- building scientific capacity and cooperation, including the collection, processing, analysis and sharing of catch data
- infrastructure and other actions to develop domestic fisheries
Scientific advice
Tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean are managed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, which includes both the EU and Seychelles as members. The EU and Seychelles work together within IOTC to study and manage tuna stocks. The EU's tuna fleet fishes in compliance with IOTC rules.
