Seychelles Premieres Documentary on Sustainable Fishing Traditions
VICTORIA, Seychelles — A documentary titled ‘Fishermen: The Heart of a Nation’, aiming to preserve and educate fishers and the general population about Seychelles’ sustainable fishing practices, was screened for the first time at the Docklands auditorium on Thursday. The one-hour film featured in-depth interviews with local fishermen, who highlighted the challenges posed by technological advancements, including mechanised boats, and other factors that have led to unsustainable fishing practices, emphasising the urgency of addressing these issues to avert a looming crisis. The premiere was attended by President Wavel Ramkalawan, ministers, industry representatives, and the wider fishing community.
The documentary has been produced by Frankie and Marie Rignace, and was a project undertaken by the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy as partners. The production is funded by the Blue Bond proceeds administered by the Seychelles Conservation and Climate Adaptation Trust (SeyCCAT) under the Blue Grant Fund (BGF) project. The production team said the documentary was a labour of love, with the filmmakers drawing on years of conversations with fishermen and their families to put together a coherent narrative about the industry’s past, present, and future.
Speaking post-screening, the Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-François Ferrari, noted that the movie pointed out a lot of valuable topics such as whether the need for enforcement or education were paramount in order to deal with those not following the regulations. I am one that believes in education, he stated. Minister Ferrari expressed his satisfaction that the actors, the fishermen, in the movie all reached a common consensus to review the regulations to protect the resources from the ocean. They are ready to sacrifice to get less money in southeast monsoon to profit more in northwest monsoon, he added.
Minister Ferrari had earlier in his speech post screening, announced that after the event, an educational campaign in schools will follow, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, SFA, and the Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy. The documentary delved into the rich history of fishing in Seychelles, tracing its origins, evolution into a fundamental livelihood, and the gradual decline of this traditional way of life due to increasing monopolisation. In addition, most of the fishermen in the documentary noted that the Seychelles Fishing Authority was doing well to step in and impose regulations, however, the restrictions should not target the real fishermen, but rather fish retailers and exporters that supply upon the increasing demand.
One of the key interviewees was the late Tony Mathiot, to whom the movie was dedicated. Speaking about his contribution, Mr Rignace said the late historian was always passionate about the subject of sustainable fisheries and are an incredible source of knowledge and wisdom. He cited the late historian who passed away on Wednesday, as a huge inspiration. The past generation of artisanal fishers are an important source of sustainable fishing knowledge and these have thus far not been properly documented in any media form for the purpose of comparison, he stated. He explained that the project aims to raise awareness, educate and change attitudes in favour of more sustainable fishing practices, and aims to share knowledge of artisanal fisheries with younger generation of fishers and future fishers through debates.
