From local harvest to import dependence: Value chain transformation, IUU fishing, and traceability feasibility in a small island developing state lobster fishery
This study analyzes the transformation of Seychelles’ spiny lobster fishery following management interventions. Findings show increasing reliance on imports, reduced local harvests, persistent IUU fishing, and broad stakeholder support for traceability systems. The authors propose a phased policy framework to balance ecological sustainability, economic viability, and social equity in small island fisheries.
Subject Tags
- Fisheries
- Policy
- Ecosystem management
Abstract
Extended fishery closures in small island developing states (SIDS) create acute policy dilemmas: biological imperatives demand stock protection, yet tourism economies require year-round seafood supply, and coastal communities depend on fishing livelihoods. This study documents the comprehensive value chain transformation of Seychelles’ spiny lobster (Panulirus spp.) fishery following adaptive management interventions, employing 87 stakeholder interviews, economic impact assessment, and triangulated quantification of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Results reveal near-complete market transition to import dependence (96.6% of establishments), with import volumes increasing 105% (2021–2023) against a 46% decline in legal local harvest. Differential economic multipliers (2.3 local vs 1.4 imports) generate a 39% reduction in local economic circulation per unit value, with asymmetric employment impacts (net loss of 90 jobs). IUU fishing persists at approximately 9.8% of market volume despite complete closure, reflecting structural enforcement constraints inherent to island geography and low prosecution rates. Despite these enforcement constraints, 76% of stakeholders across fishers, establishments and the public expressed support for post-harvest traceability systems, while simultaneously identifying critical institutional prerequisites that must be resolved before successful implementation. Integration of traceability with ongoing harvest strategy development through the FishPath approach offers a coordinated pathway to biological management and market governance. A three-phase policy framework is proposed, emphasising capacity-scaled interventions that match intervention intensity to fishery value, since management costs can otherwise exceed the value of small fisheries. Findings offer transferable lessons for 58 SIDS globally managing artisanal fisheries under biological and resource constraints, demonstrating that where restoration to historical abundance is unachievable, policy must support adaptation to transformed conditions while maintaining ecological sustainability, economic viability, and social equity.
Citation
Ameer Ebrahim, Kettyna Gabriel, Siddharth Motwani, Annie Vidot, Sabrena Lawrence, Carmen Revenga, From local harvest to import dependence: Value chain transformation, IUU fishing, and traceability feasibility in a small island developing state lobster fishery, Marine Policy, Volume 194, 2026, 107267, ISSN 0308-597X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2026.107267.
TNC Authors
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Carmen Revenga
Coastal Fisheries Strategy Lead. Provide Food and Water
The Nature Conservancy
Email: crevenga@tnc.org