Oskar Benedikt, EU’s Ambassador to Mauritius and Seychelles

“Sustainable harvesting of fish stocks to support food security can only have long-term economic benefits”

At the Terminal Steering Committee meeting for the EU-funded E€OFISH programme, Oskar Benedikt, the European Union’s Ambassador to Mauritius and Seychelles, reaffirmed the EU’s unwavering dedication to empowering the artisanal fishing community in Mauritius. The initiative supports concrete fisheries management and governance in small-scale inland and marine fisheries, enhancing resilience to climate change and preserving marine biodiversity. He emphasized that the project’s achievements, including the empowerment of over 500 artisanal fishers and the introduction of advanced fishing technologies, underscore the EU’s strong partnership with Mauritius. 

At the Terminal Steering Committee meeting for the EU-funded ECOFISH programme, Oskar Benedikt, the European Union’s Ambassador to Mauritius and Seychelles, emphasized the EU’s unwavering dedication to supporting the economic empowerment of the artisanal fishing community in Mauritius. In his opening remarks, Ambassador Benedikt highlighted the programme’s success in transforming the artisanal fisheries sector through innovative practices and sustainable development.

“In 2018, when the Financing Agreement was signed, ECOFISH was cited as one of the EU’s 23 new commitments at Our Ocean Conference,” Mr Oskar Benedikt began, setting the tone for the meeting. The programme aimed to support concrete fisheries management and governance initiatives in small-scale inland and marine fisheries, with a specific focus on enhancing climate change resilience and marine biodiversity. “It reflects the high commitment that the EU puts on fisheries, be it inland or marine, due to the impacts the sector has on food security, but also in terms of income-generating revenues for the communities.”

The EU and Mauritius have a strong partnership geared towards achieving sustainable and inclusive development

He noted that from the very outset, there were significant expectations for the ECOFISH programme. “My presence here today, with my team, at this last steering committee, bears testimony to our joint commitment, along with the Ministry of Blue Economy & Fisheries, and our partner, the UNDP, in contributing to sustainable fisheries management,” he added.

The EU Ambassador detailed the achievements of the ECOFISH programme, which have significantly empowered the artisanal fishing community in Mauritius. He recalled that “when we received the application from UNDP, four years ago, for conducting an action in support of small-scale fisheries in Mauritius, the number of artisanal fishers who were trained in off-lagoon fishing and who regularly fished around the newly set fish-aggregating devices was estimated at around 280.” Furthermore, the number of artisanal fishermen who had transitioned from lagoon to off-lagoon fishing using new technologies, and those adopting best practices in post-harvest processing, was almost negligible.

“After three years, we now have more than 500 empowered artisanal fishers; more than 200 fishers have adopted best practices in post-harvest processing, and more than a hundred have been trained to fish off-lagoon,” he shared, adding that the day’s presentations would provide further insights into the project’s achievements and impact. 

Together, the programme partners aim to “boost the sustainable development of the artisanal fisheries sector, while at the same time addressing the challenges of climate change and preserving biodiversity,” Mr Benedikt emphasized.

He acknowledged that artisanal fisheries are not only a vital food source, with fish constituting an important source of protein and income, but they are also the economic backbone of most coastal communities. “The sector represents an important socio-economic and cultural aspect of coastal communities in the South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) region,” he explained.

However, Ambassador Benedikt warned of the sector’s vulnerability to both natural and man-made shocks. “You will agree with me that sustainable harvesting of fish stocks to support food security can only have long-term economic benefits,” he remarked. Yet, the artisanal fisheries sector faces numerous threats, including climate change, storms that damage fishing vessels, plastic pollution, and overfishing, all of which lead to decreased catches. “In Mauritius and Rodrigues, the 3,000 artisanal fishermen are not immune to these shocks,” he continued. “They face numerous threats such as overfishing, illegal fishing, and the effects of climate change.”

Highlighting the project’s innovative aspects, Ambassador Benedikt pointed out that “the future for the artisanal fishers lies in fishing off-lagoon. But for this to work, we need to empower fishers so they can fish more safely, more efficiently, while generating revenues and protecting the resources. This is what we have done with this project.” 

The ECOFISH project has indeed introduced new technologies that have transformed artisanal fisheries into a more attractive and less risky profession by making off-lagoon fishing safer and more productive. A key achievement is the installation of new generation Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) equipped with solar-powered satellite buoys and electronic tracking systems. “The system offers significant benefits to the artisanal fishers such as daily location data, improved quantity of scientific data, and reliability and security of data,” he noted.

Additionally, a mobile phone application launched earlier this year allows artisanal fishers to directly access information gathered by the smart FADs. “I must admit that this is indeed a meaningful contribution to the digitalisation of the small-scale fisheries, in line with our strategy for a digital transition of the fishery sector,” Ambassador Benedikt stated.

The project also addresses post-harvest losses through the rehabilitation of fish landing stations at various localities, complemented by the relevant training to optimize the added value of fishery products. “These are only a few achievements that I can highlight at this stage,” he remarked, expressing his eagerness to learn more about other accomplishments as the meeting progressed.

The EU Ambassador emphasized the broader regional impact of the ECOFISH programme, which also supports eight other demonstration projects across East Africa, Southern Africa, and the Indian Ocean, with a total funding value of approximately 8 million euros. “It is important that the lessons learnt and the best practices from this project are scaled up to reach out to the SWIO region,” he stressed.

He highlighted a knowledge-sharing workshop held in Mombasa last year, where the project team shared its experiences with regional partners, and mentioned that “other such initiatives are planned in the near future, and the project will be informed accordingly”.

Ambassador Benedikt took the opportunity to commend Amanda Serumaga, Resident Coordinator of UNDP in Mauritius, for her “great commitment in the implementation of this project.” He acknowledged her role in personally chairing the Project Steering Committee on several occasions, and providing essential guidance to the team. “There is no doubt that the success of this project rests on your commitment and the dedication of your team,” he said, as he extended his congratulations to her.

As the project nears its closing phase, Ambassador Benedikt expressed hope for the future: “We are eagerly looking forward to see how the artisanal fishers will continue to take advantage of its results in the long term to fish more efficiently, more safely, and more sustainably, and to learn about the impact on their livelihoods.”

The Ambassador concluded by acknowledging the valuable involvement of the Ministry of Blue Economy & Fisheries, the EU’s counterpart for sectoral support, and expressing his appreciation to the Minister and his team at the Ministry for their financial contribution. “Let me say that the EU and the Republic of Mauritius have a strong partnership geared towards achieving sustainable and inclusive development, and the fisheries sector is one of the areas where we work together,” he affirmed.