Aldabra Atoll has officially been designated as an Important Shark and Ray Area (ISRA) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission shark specialist group.
According to the Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF) in a recent press statement, the designation has been awarded to Aldabra as it contains specific marine habitats that are deemed critical for the survival and well-being of sharks, rays, and chimaeras – which are soft-bodied, cartilaginous fish.
SIF said it submitted the nomination of Aldabra, one of Seychelles UNESCO World Heritage sites, in August 2023, to be evaluated in an ISRA workshop in Durban, South Africa last September, which focused on the western Indian Ocean region. The submission then underwent a peer review by an independent review panel before it was validated.
ISRA designations are based on scientific criteria that consider factors such as the species’ range restriction. It is also based on their status on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the importance of the habitat for various life stages of sharks and the special attributes of the habitat in terms of distinctiveness and diversity.
The majority of available evidence from Aldabra came from opportunistic sighting records and photos and videos collected over many years by Aldabra staff, volunteers and visiting researchers, highlighting the value of rigorously recording opportunistic sightings.
The chief executive of SIF, Dr Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, said « this designation helps SIF to re-focus on one of the most threatened group of animals on reefs’ with 60 percent of coral reef shark and ray species globally being at risk of going extinct. Since the submission of the nomination over 500 additional opportunistic sightings have already been made on Aldabra, and this time the exact locations have been recorded too. »
Sharks, rays and chimaeras belong to the most threatened marine taxon and more than a third of shark species are threatened with extinction due to impacts from fisheries, habitat loss, and climate change.
Aldabra Atoll was designated for six species, namely the blacktip reef shark, tawny nurse shark, sharptooth lemon shark, scalloped hammerhead shark, spotted eagle ray, and reef manta ray. The species fulfilled the criteria of being considered threatened on the IUCN Red List, and being found in a marine habitat that is important for their reproduction and feeding.
Dr Rima Jabado, deputy chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group, said « Sharks and rays play a key role in supporting the health of marine ecosystems. ISRAs are now providing a critical tool to support the conservation of these species by consolidating the most up-to-date scientific data from regional experts, but also from citizen scientists, that can really allow policymakers to take action and safeguard remnant populations. »
With the designation, Aldabra joined a select group of globally recognised areas crucial for biodiversity and this will serve as a catalyst for heightened awareness and action and urge policymakers and stakeholders to prioritise conservation efforts and ensure long-term protection.
Aldabra is now one of nine ISRAs in Seychelles and the others are Alphonse Atoll, Baie Laraie at Curieuse Island, Bay Ternay at Mahe Island, Conception Island, D’Arros and St. Joseph Atoll, La Passe at Silhouette Island, Saint François Atoll and the Seychelles Inner Islands.—
UN Ocean Decade Conference :
Seychellois Youth Panellist gives Voice to Islanders’ Concerns
A young Seychellois, Nathalia Lawen, represented Seychelles at the UN Ocean Decade Conference 2024, as a panellist at one of the satellite events of the conference in Barcelona, Spain.
The event was co-hosted by the Peace Boat organisation, which is a Japan-based global NGO that promote peace, human rights, and sustainability, together with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA) of the United States.
Lawen was on the panel as Peace Boat’s ocean and climate youth ambassador from Seychelles and the main topic of discussion was youth capacity building and intergenerational collaboration.
« When I am given a chance to share my voice internationally, I carry Seychelles on my heart always. We all know how rare it is for Seychellois to be given a platform to speak internationally, so I treasure the opportunities I manage to get, and I do my utmost best to bring the voices of not just Seychellois, but the voices of my brothers and sisters from other ocean states like Seychelles to the world, » said Lawen.
During the discussions, Lawen emphasised the need for more international cooperation to facilitate interaction between stakeholders in the Global North and the Global South.
« I would love to see a programme where youths from Seychelles get the chance to collaborate with international academic institutions to enhance capacity building, » she said.
Lawen added that « As African islanders, we are often excluded from important decisions globally and opportunities to grow are limited. Most of the time, lack funding is the factor. »
She said that a way of communicating science in a simpler way is also lacking and « when science is communicated with very scientific terms, nobody wants to listen. I believe science, especially science about our Seychelles should be available in Creole. »
With Seychelles being such a small nation, but facing very real problems, it is always important for the nation’s voices to be heard, she believes.
For Lawen, such platforms allow small island developing states (SIDS) like Seychelles, to have an impact on protective actions that can be taken to minimise the risks of climate change challenges.
« Often at conferences like these, the majority of the participants are from the Global North, » said Lawen.
She continued by saying; « I can tell you that when islanders meet at these conferences we stick together and this is where knowledge sharing happens. It is quite ironic that we are less represented at environment conferences when in reality we are the most affected by the decisions that come from international meetings like these. »
The young environment conservation champion says that in Seychelles, the ocean is in the people’s DNA, the people depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, with most of the country’s resources coming from the ocean around the islands.
She explained, « We know at this point, thanks to scientific research, how our ocean’s resources are depleting because of pollution, climate change and numerous other factors. I believe that if one has the ability to do good, then why wouldn’t you? We cannot stay silent while the world continues to facilitate the destruction of our planet in the name of development. »
Possible effects of El Nino on yellowfin tuna catch in Seychelles
– The effects of El Nino may have impacted the amount of yellowfin tuna caught during 2023 and last year in Seychelles, according to the country’s minister for fisheries
Seychelles had a total quota of 33,200 tonnes for this species of tuna, which is subject to a strict quota system monitored by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC).
This amount is then distributed by the Seychelles Fisheries Authority (SFA) to 13 Seychelles-flagged longliner vessels, each receiving about 2,400 tonnes for the year.
Yellowfin tuna in the Indian Ocean is currently the most overfished tuna stock in the world and this is why in 2016, the IOTC adopted a resolution reducing the fishing allowance of the species by 15 percent to help rebuild the population.
The Minister for Blue Economy and Fisheries, Jean-Francois Ferrari, told SNA, « At the moment SFA is still in the process of crunching the numbers so we don’t have a final answer yet. However, for 2023 we expect to be under-quota and several factors may have caused this. According to our scientists, El Nino could have played a part in this because when sea temperatures rise the tuna tend to swim at lower depths. »
Every year, the Seychelles-flagged vessels are legally required to declare their catch for the year on December 31 and usually vessels start reaching their limit towards the end of October or beginning of November, but this is vessel-specific as they each one manages its quota differently.
In the past, some have chosen to do their major servicing during the stoppage and go to dry-docking in Mauritius or Madagascar, while some remain in Seychelles and undertake minor routine servicing on equipment.
Fishing operations usually are expected to resume as of January 1 once quotas are reinstated, while some vessels will leave port as early as December 28 to be able to start operations as the New Year rolls in.
However, this year, since the vessels were behind on their quota, they were still at sea until the end of December. To ensure that these vessels did not miss the start of the season at the beginning of January, they were allowed to remain at sea and granted permission to declare their catch for 2023 two weeks later on January 15.
Ferrari said, « The vessels had to ensure that the new catch for 2024 was kept separate from the one from 2023 to ensure that the quota is properly recorded. There were also observers present that ensured that these processes were followed adequately. »
Fisheries is the second top contributor to the economy of Seychelles, an archipelago in the western Indian Ocean.
(Seychelles News Agency)