Mauritius is finalizing the development of a new fisheries bill to support more-effective management of country’s marine biodiversity and resources.
An island nation of 1.2 million people, Mauritius has an annual per-capita consumption of 28 kilograms of seafood per year.
Mauritius Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, and Shipping Minister Sudheer Maudhoo said the new bill also intends to promote a sustainable ecosystem along the country’s coastal areas as part of a USD 4.6 million (EUR 4.2 million) “Mainstreaming Biodiversity in Management of Coastal Zone” project financed by Global Environment Facility, with the support of the United Nations Development Program.
Maudhoo said the project, which is 80 percent complete, “is instrumental to incorporate policy, strategy, knowledge, and technological expertise for the emergence of the blue economy as a game changer for the economy…