New research in Marine Policy has shed light on the current state of Seychelles’ spiny lobster fishery.
The study reveals a significant shift in how Seychelles obtains its lobsters.
Through 87 interviews with fishers, hotels, restaurants, and the general public, the researchers discovered that the reliance on imported lobster has skyrocketed: a staggering 96.6% of the establishments surveyed now depend on imports.
Between 2021 and 2023, import volumes surged, while legal local catches plummeted. The research also highlights the ongoing issue of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, estimating it still makes up about 9.8% of the market, despite numerous fishery closures. Interestingly, there’s a strong consensus among stakeholders – 76% support the idea of implementing a post-harvest traceability system.
The analysis spans from 2017 to 2024, a period characterized by prolonged fishery closures due to declining stock levels, with fieldwork and interviews continuing through 2025.
The focus of the study is on Seychelles’ Inner Islands – Mahé, Praslin, La Digue, and Denis – where lobster fishing, tourism demand, and import distribution networks are heavily concentrated.
Extended closures are crucial for safeguarding a stock that can no longer sustain its historical harvest levels. However, they come with significant trade-offs: fishers face lost incomes, local economies take a hit and relying on imports doesn’t curb illegal fishing. Grasping these dynamics is vital for the 58 small island developing states around the globe that are grappling with similar challenges.
The researchers conducted stakeholder interviews, utilized economic impact modeling, and employed three independent methods to estimate illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) catch, ultimately converging on a single, confidence-backed figure. Their insights are directly feeding into Seychelles’ current lobster harvest strategy, which has been shaped through the FishPath approach, and they also help inform a proposed three-phase policy roadmap that aims to balance conservation, enforcement, and the livelihoods of local fishers.
Read the full paper: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107267
Image source: https://www.nation.sc/articles/7309/lobster-season-opens