Video Speech by Mr. Sudheer Maudhoo, Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping of Mauritius on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Video Speech by Mr. Sudheer Maudhoo, Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping of Mauritius on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

21 November, 2022 

Mr. Zhao Hui Luo, Chairman of China International Development Cooperation Agency,

Mr. Yu Bo Wang, Governor of Yunnan Province of China,

Honorable ministers,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm pleased to participate in this forum regarding the blue economy,  that is a sustainable ocean based economy. As you are aware, the oceans play vital role in sustaining life on earth. They are a source of food, help regulate the climate, provide routes to connect the world. And in many countries, sustaining economies for job creation and income generation.

Mauritius as a small island state depends on the ocean and its marine resources to sustain livelihoods and to ensure food security. Mauritius is focusing on the blue economy as a new frontier for development and as the next avenue for our import substitution strategy and for export growth in the short, medium and long term. The COVID pandemic has been an eye opener for all governments and thereby the post COVID strategies have been formulated by making food security the No.1 priority. Our government is focusing on a threefold strategy as follows:

First, consolidation of existing sectors; second, the development of emerging sectors; and third, nurturing emerging sectors. Despite their importance, oceans are facing unprecedented threats such as pollution, climate change, over exploitation amongst others. To ensure our lives, we have the responsibility to ensure the good health of our oceans and marine ecosystems.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mauritius has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.3 million square kilometers .

To this end, government Mauritius has adopted several measures to prevent harmful and unsustainable fishing of practices and promote sustainable use of marine resources and preserve the marine environment, namely, Marine Protected Areas (MPA) have been proclaimed. A new fisher's bill is being prepared to provide for a stringent legislative framework for the management, conservation, protection of our fisheries resources and the marine ecosystems. And most importantly, heavy penalties and sanctions with regard to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, which we call IUU.

Fish aggregating devices (FADs) have been installed around the island to encourage fishers to conduct off-lagoon fishing, thus protecting the regeneration of the in-lagoon stocks. With regard to replenishment of stock, two yearly close seasons, we can say, for octopus fishing have been promulgated. The prohibition to fish crab, lobsters in buried stay. Mangrove propagation around our coastal areas. Coral restoration projects to restore degraded areas of coral reefs and protect their essential ecosystem services.

Ladies and gentlemen, in its quest to double the contribution of the blue economy in the next decade, government has identified opportunities for long term investment in key sectors, including port infrastructure development, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture offshore renewable energy, marine city and capacity building. To realize the vision of the government, the following incentives are being provided in the 2022-2023 budget. The artisanal sector, the Canotte Scheme provision has been made for a grant of a maximum of USD 4,500 and a soft loan at 3 percent interest to artisanal and fishermen to purchase the canotte and other equipment. The same initial scheme, provision has been made for a grant of a maximum of USD 135,000 per fisherman cooperative and soft term loans for purchase of the same industrial boats. Also, provision for a grant of USD 22,500 to the private sector and individuals for the purchase of same industrial fishing vessels.

We are shortly launching an UI to attract national and international investors for exploitation of our untapped, unexploited, diverse species for fishing and processing. Investment certificate will be allocated to the prospective investors and an eight-year-tax-holiday will be allocated to companies that will be involved both in fishing and processing. Surveys in the motion will be carried out to explore the possibility of new fishing grounds and availability of untouched sources that will include crabs, squids and lobsters.

The aquaculture sector, in fact, four new offshore fish farming zones are being prescribed for off-lagoon aquaculture. In-lagoon aquaculture will be encouraged in the southeast region. Appropriate agitation has been prepared for making optimum use of our aquaculture mud crab, oysters and sea cucumber. We are launching sites for training in pearl culture as per the approval from the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC), seaweed culture will be undertaken very soon. Other measures that have been taken to enhance the biomass of our ocean, the Albion Fisheries Research Center (AFRC) will undertake the production of one million fingerlings in its hatchet rates that include fishes, crabs and shrimps for restocking of our lagoons.

In the coming days, an expert in sea cucumber culture from Australia will be in Mauritius to assist the AFRC to produce baby sea cucumber project. The Republic of Mauritius is the third largest supplier of process to the European Union. Mauritius has signed a fisheries partnership agreement with the EU, which allows the distant water fishing nations to fish in our waters. This agreement provides the supply of raw materials almost hundred thousand tons of tuna to our countries which employ more than 6,000 people. The export of fish and fish products amounts to 20 percent of our national exports and represents 1.5 percent  of our GDP.

With respect to marine biotechnology, research works have been carried out by the Mauritius Oceanography Institute, which we'll call it MOI where encouraging results have been obtained, which can be used in the pharmaceutical industry.

Ladies and gentlemen,

On a note of concern, I would like to make an appeal to one and all with the disastrous effects of climate change, especially to small island developing states (SIDS).

It is really hard to digest the fact that do re-emitting negligible amount of greenhouse gases. It is the SIDS that are facing the threat of being swallowed by the sea level rise, thus making us victims of massive coastal erosion. Climate change is caused due to the anthropogenic activities, due to intervention from humans with nature and natural processes. Pollution, deforestation, uncontrolled coastal developments, high and increasing greenhouse gas emissions are some of the main causes for climate change which have disturbed our oceans and thus we are witnessing negative impacts like massive coral bleaching, acidification and loss of marine habitats.

We human beings are fully responsible for the harm that we have caused to mother nature, beat the earth and the ocean as well. Wake up. Wake up my friends, this wake-up call is for us, this generation to be united to save our precious planet, thus protecting our future generation. Thank you for your kind attention.