Fisheries, Blue Economy, and Aquaculture Sector
Seychelles has an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of approximately 1.4 million km2, almost 3,000 times the size of its land area. It is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, with an extremely rich marine and terrestrial biodiversity. Fisheries is the second most important sector after tourism, contributing 16 % to the GDP and employing 12% of the population. Seychelles is also a major seafood processing hub. In 2019, the export of consumable fish and fish products made up 90% of its total value of domestic exports. However, pressures from the fisheries and tourism sectors on coastal and marine natural resources are reaching unsustainable levels.
Seychelles is now refocusing its development around a sustainable Blue Economy. To date, Seychelles has developed a Blue Economy roadmap, which defines how the country will make maximum use of its 1.4 million square kilometers of ocean in the most sustainable manner possible. This comprehensive roadmap covers the whole spectrum of potential resources from oil exploration, to aquaculture, sustainable fishing, and even eco-tourism. Renowned internationally for its success in the Blue Economy in Africa, Seychelles inspires mhashave counterpart in the region to follow the same agenda. Sustainability is central to the success of the Blue Economy concept and this has multi-sectorial implications.
- Contribution to the economy:
- 17%
- Employment:
- 15%
- Fish and Fish products exports as a percentage of total exports:
- 90%