FECAS - ECSVS Forum

Beaked whales found in St. Francois lagoon

23-February-2015
On Sunday February 1 fly-fishing guides made an unusual discovery in the lagoon of St. Francois atoll. Two small whales were seen floating upside down, apparently dead on the surface of the water.

They returned to Alphonse after their day of fishing and reported the sighting to Island Conservation Society (ICS) conservation officer, Sam Balderson. From the descriptions that they gave and from photos that had been taken Sam could see that it was a species of beaked whale, but the exact species was difficult to determine.

Sightings of beaked whales are quite rare as they spend most of their time out in the open ocean, diving to incredible depths, therefore Sam was keen to go out and collect more information.

The following morning the ICS team, Sam and Chris Narty (ranger), took a boat across to St. Francois to investigate. With the help of the fly-fishing guides they were able to locate one of the whales stuck on a sand flat. Unfortunately overnight quite a lot of the whale had been eaten by sharks, making species determination even more difficult. However it was clearly a beaked whale, hard to determine the sex because of the damaged caused by sharks.

Sam and Chris took as many measurements as possible (the length was 4.23m) and then took tissue samples for DNA analysis. It was decided that they should also try and keep the skeleton as a specimen.

However the body of the whale was still too heavy to try and tow with their small boat, so they decided to just keep the skull. Hopefully analysis of the specimens collected by whale experts will lead to a positive identification of the exact species of beaked whale.

The cause of death of these two whales is almost impossible to determine, but it was estimated that they had died very recently perhaps only the day before the bodies were found, as the meat appeared very fresh and there was almost no smell. Perhaps they had entered the lagoon and become lost in its complex maze of channels. Unable to find their way out, they may have beached themselves by trying to travel across the shallow sandbanks. We will never know.

ICS is currently working with Marine Conservation Society Seychelles (MCSS) to try to better understand the distribution and activity of whales and dolphins within Seychelles waters. This find therefore came at an interesting time and will help inform future work. We still know very little about these amazingly elusive creatures, and in order to protect them from potential threats we need to know where they are in the ocean. So this find is another important piece in the puzzle.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=244604

National Assembly expresses support for sustainable development goals

08-April-2015
The National Assembly of Seychelles was among the 133 parliaments of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to express support for Speaker Herminie addressing the 132nd IPU Assemblythe Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to be adopted in September 2015 by heads of state of the United Nation.

The 132nd Assembly of the IPU was held in Hanoi, Viet Nam, from March 28 to April 1, 2015. The National Assembly was represented by the Speaker, Dr Patrick Herminie.

Held under the theme ‘The Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Actions’, parliaments from across the world reaffirmed their vision of sustainable development based on human rights, poverty eradication, peace and security.

The Assembly resolved that reducing poverty is not a simple matter given that poverty is rooted in a whole system of inequality and injustice.

The IPU Assembly thus stressed on the need for parliaments to be strengthened to hold governments to account and translate the 17 SDGs into enforceable domestic laws.

In his intervention, Speaker Herminie welcomed the initiative of having new set of goals which he described as important aspirations for the unremitting development of mankind and which will provide an opportunity to complete the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals.

He said that Seychelles welcomes the inclusion of goal 14 of the SDGs which promotes the sustainable use of marine resources though the Blue Economy concept.

The Speaker was equally supportive of goal 13 relating to climate change, stating that climate change remains one of the biggest threats to Post 2015 sustainable growth, especially for small island developing states.

The 132nd Assembly of the IPU further adopted a resolution condemning terrorism, in particular the actions of Boko Haram and ISIS, and called for an equitable international order based on the rule of law and non-intervention on the internal affairs of states.

The Speaker was accompanied at the 132nd IPU Assembly by the acting Clerk, Shelda Commettant.
http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=245027

Mangroves for the Future supports Scalloped hammerhead shark fishery survey

27-April-2015


Mangroves for the Future (MFF) is working on an assessment of the Scalloped hammerhead (Sphyrna lewini) population and fishery in Seychelles.

The project has recently been approved for support under the MFF Small Grants Facility and is being managed by the Artisanal Shark Fishers Association (ASFA).

The Scalloped hammerhead, or Marto Rouz in Creole, is one of three species of hammerhead known to occur in Seychelles waters. A survey in 2013 showed that Marto Rouz was the second most common species caught in Seychelles artisanal fishery constituting over 18%, numerically, of all sharks caught. For artisanal shark fishermen, that is fishermen who actively target shark with specialised modified anchored long lines known locally as ‘drag’, this species is the single most important component of their catch due to its size and relative abundance.

http://www.nation.sc/article.html?id=245223