Day: November 14, 2023

The Indian Ocean region is moving closer to a harmonised and integrated approach to collecting data for the fisheries sector.

This is being prepared through the meeting of a group of ECOFish National programme managers and observers at the Berjaya Beau Vallon Bay until Wednesday. The representatives are from countries with fishing operations in the region and the rest of the Indian Ocean.

During the meeting, the representatives spoke about the various aspects of observing the fisheries sector in their respective countries, in a bid to keep it sustainable, as well as examine the legal frameworks in their respective countries.

Fisheries observers in various countries are the officers who go on fishing vessels and observe and collect data on the fishing trip processes.

In his speech to officially open the meeting, the head of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), Jan Robinson, said that countries in the region had major weaknesses where reliable data is concerned in order to draft reliable policies.

He said that human fisheries observers will always be important as “they are our eyes and ears on the sea, who will always see things that advanced technologies have missed.”

A monitoring, control and surveillance expert, Jude Talma, told SNA that the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) had sought the services of Cap Marine Ltd as consultants for 15 months to help draft a training programme for the various observers in the region.

“We want all the observers to have a certain level of training, and the training will vary from country to country,” he said.

The Ecofish programme run by the Indian Ocean Commission, which was launched in 2022, aims at having in-depth research to produce reliable data. The programme encompasses all the aspects of ensuring the member states meet the set norms such as training, financing and information.

“It is important to properly equip the national observers so that the regional data collection may then be solid science that will help with sound policies to manage the fisheries fish stock,” said Talma.

He added that once all the countries’ representatives are trained to meet the set standards, they will then be able “to carry on with the data collection activity regardless of which waters they find themselves in. If for example, a Seychelles observer continues on a vessel in the Madagascar waters, they may then take the information collected and present them to the proper authorities.”

He also said that it is expected that the fisheries ministers in the region will approve this initiative in their upcoming meeting next year.

Source: Seychelles News Agency

The Cybercrime Unit of the Seychelles Police Force is now better equipped to to deal with cyber offences after receiving a digital forensic laboratory from the Chinese government.

The equipment was handed over to the Commissioner of Police, Ted Barbe, by the Chinese chargé d’affaires, Mu Jianfeng, on Monday.

The laboratory is a grant from China with the equipment costing ¥1 million ($137,000).

In his address, Jianfeng said, “The lab will be in full operation in the coming days, and its major functions include secure data extraction, storage media back-up, quick data acquisition, data analysis and authentication, as well as data recovery. It will serve as an effective tool to the Seychelles police and relevant authorities in terms of digital data investigation and evidence collection.”

Commissioner Barbe highlighted the importance of such equipment to face the increase in cyber offences in the island nation in the western Indian Ocean.

“The evolving methods used by perpetrators have made it necessary for the police force to improve their capabilities to be able to deal with cybercrime,” he added.

In order to deal with the increase in cybercrime cases in Seychelles, a new Cybercrimes and Other Related Crimes Act came into force after being approved by the National Assembly in November 2021. The law replaced the Computer Misuse Act, 1998.

Under the Cybercrimes and Other Related Crimes Act, individuals who commit fraud, harass others, leak private or indecent videos on social media, interfere with the operation of any computer system, or information found on any computer system, are committing an offence and can be fined or imprisoned.

The chargé d’affaires said that while Seychelles is famous as a tourism paradise, and a safe place for both the local citizens and foreign visitors, there is also the challenge in the domain of public security.

“In particular the drug trafficking crimes, and the rising of illegal cyber activities. With the new equipment and the lab, I have confidence that the efficiency of the investigation work against all types of crimes in Seychelles will be increased markedly,” he added.

Jianfeng affirmed that China “will continue to strengthen cooperation with Seychelles in the field of public security, and share our experience and expertise in the creation of a safe and secure living and working environment for our citizens.”

Source: Seychelles News Agency