The government of the Seychelles has chosen technology from Spanish company Satlink to digitally monitor the catches of its fishing fleet, with the aim of strengthening and ensuring the long-term sustainability of its activity.
This is a joint effort with the tuna fleet operating in the Indian Ocean, which advocates for transparency and good practices. Satlink will provide the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) with one of the most advanced analysis software systems on the market, in addition to outfitting the purse seine fleet with its Satlink SeaTube onboard electronic monitoring solution.
Following a testing period that began in 2021, the Seychelles is now strengthening its partnership with Satlink as a technology provider until 2026.
The authorities will use the Satlink View Manager (SVM) software to analyse data from vessels and generate reports that may include information such as the composition of the catches, the destination of by-catch, or fishing areas. The project objective for both the government and the industry is to ensure sustainable activity and better management of its fishing fleet in a country where fishing is the main contributor to GDP (between 20% and 30%), as well as seeking to reduce the potential impact of unregulated activity.
For the development of the project, the Seychelles Fishing Authority will have the local support of Satlink, which has its own offices in the port of Mahé, with a technical and commercial team and from which it provides support to the entire Indian Ocean. Satlink has also trained SFA personnel, who will be responsible for covering the chain of custody of the information, from data geathering at sea to subsequent review and analysis.
The reliability of Satlink’s Electronic Monitoring solution is backed by more than 290 onboard installations and the training of more than 100 observers and analysts in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. With this contract, Satlink reinforces its position as a reliable provider of technology for better management of fishing resources and more sustainable activity for around thirty governments.
Among the latest contracts awarded to Satlink are those signed with the governments of Sweden, Malta, or Cyprus, among others. Last year, Satlink became the first and only European company authorised by the US government to supply these systems to its fishing fleet.
