Seychelles says EU swordfish alert hurt industry

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Seychelles says EU swordfish alert hurt industry

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By George Thande

VICTORIA, April 29 (Reuters) - A European Union health warning on swordfish from Seychelles has forced many fishermen from the islands to switch to hunting sharks to make a living, a Seychelles official told Reuters on Thursday.

The EU issued a health directive against exports of swordfish from the Indian Ocean archipelago in mid 2002, claiming the fish contained high levels of the heavy metal cadmium and therefore harmful to human health.

Seychelles fishermen dispute the EU warning claiming the cadmium found in swordfish in the Seychelles waters is no more dangerous that cadmium content in chicken, lamb or pork.

"Our swordfish has between 0.3 and 0.5 parts per million (ppm) of cadmium, and therefore falls within the 1.0 ppm limit set for these other products like chicken kidneys, pork and lamb," Randolf Payet, managing director of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), told Reuters in an interview.

"The EU warning has had a major impact on local fishermen. Many have now resorted to fishing sharks for fins to make money."

Seychelles earned 18 million rupees ($3.27 million) from artisanal fishing including swordfish in 2002, but revenue fell to 8.7 million rupees in 2003 after the EU warning.

The islands' fishing industry, the bulk of which is tuna fishing, is one of the mainstays of the economy, generating 920 million rupees ($167.27 million) in 2002.

Payet says fishermen specialising in sword fishing have attempted to diversify into tuna fishing but due to lack of equipment and experience, this has not been successful.

The SFA is hoping to train them how to catch tuna and also lobby the EU to recognise that cadmium from swordfish is no more dangerous than that found in many other food products.

Shark fin soup is served in many restaurants and hotels in Seychelles and local fishermen are increasingly catching sharks just for their fins and dumping the carcasses in the water.

The increase in the practice is a worrying change for conservationists.

"Sharks are (a) long-life species with a low fecundity, spawning late and getting only one or two offspring," says Payet. "Sword fishing was better due to the higher populations found in the seas."

Swordfish fetches relatively high prices on international markets as many traditional fishing grounds are rapidly nearing depletion. In particular the Mediterranean Sea and the northern Atlantic are facing rapidly reducing stocks due to overfishing.

Swordfish fisheries in the southwestern Indian Ocean are still modest compared to the Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea, mostly due to lack of modern vessels and infrastructure.