VICTORIA, Seychelles — From 25 to 28 February, Seychelles hosted the third ministerial fisheries conference on the Regional Fisheries Surveillance Plan (PRSP), held under the theme ‘Securing the future of fisheries through institutional commitment’. Organised by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) in partnership with the European Union (EU) and supported by the ECOFISH programme, the conference took place at the Eden Bleu Hotel.
Principal Minister Jean-François Ferrari led the Seychellois delegation, alongside IOC officials and partner representatives. The PRSP is a regional mechanism that allows Indian Ocean island states to coordinate surveillance of their shared fishing waters, with ECOFISH — funded by the EU — providing technical and financial support. The conference brought together ministers and senior officials from IOC member states, the EU and partner organisations to review progress and plan the next phase.
Discussions focused on the sustainability and expansion of the PRSP, including joint surveillance operations, intelligence sharing, port-state measures and capacity building for national fisheries monitoring centres. Speakers emphasised that illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing continues to threaten the livelihoods of coastal communities and the marine environment, and that coordinated regional surveillance is essential. The conference closed with the adoption of a joint declaration committing member states to deepen cooperation and to seek additional funding partners for the next phase of the plan.
