Piloting a Voluntary Rotating Fisheries Closure on Praslin Island for Sustained Catch

Praslin Island is home to about 60 registered boats and 150 fishers. While the island’s reliance on fishing activities requires a consistent supply of catch, seasonal variations limit fishing locations, leading to overfishing in available fishing grounds and subsequent decline in catch yields.

During the northwest monsoon season, when the sea is calm, locals yield a bountiful catch by venturing further into deeper offshore fishing banks. However, when the southeast trade winds strike, the swelling waves make most small boats unable to sail far out at sea, leaving lagoons as the only viable option to catch fish. As a result, these smaller ecosystems suffer from elevated casting and trapping activities. Whenever the exploitation rate exceeds fish productivity, the marine ecosystem comes under threat of degradation and catch decline.

Fortunately, an understanding of the local seasonality and the reasons behind catch decline helped develop a community-driven approach to bolstering ecosystem health and the productivity of the fish catch. Owning their role as custodians of the sea, locals from the Praslin Fishers Association (PFA) took action to safeguard the environment and their livelihoods by implementing the rotating fisheries closures approach, starting in Baie Ste Anne.

In this pilot project, PFA proposed a locally facilitated periodic lagoon closure during the northwest monsoon season, directing fishing activities away from the coast. This will give the marine ecosystem at Baie Ste Anne more time to replenish its fish stocks and prepare for the impending spike in fishing activities. When the southeastern trades return and deter small boats from venturing into deeper waters, the thriving lagoon will be reopened to provide sustenance and livelihood to the community.

Rather than passing down a rigid regulation, the project builds upon the community’s voluntary cooperation, encouraging buy-in from all Praslin-based fishers. Local engagement was furthered by training fishers to collect data pre- and post-closure, making them crucial actors in the project assessment. This effectively turns the lagoon into a locally managed marine area, embedding a more conscious sense of ownership and accountability among locals in preserving their natural resources.