The Seychelles Fisheries Authority (SFA) recruits new individuals into its National Scientific Observer Programme on an annual basis. This year, the Fisheries Resource Management and Technical Coordination Department introduced an enhanced recruitment approach aimed at attracting more motivated and capable Seychellois candidates. A dedicated leaflet was produced, and recruitment advertisements were broadcast on television and published in Seychelles Nation to maximise outreach and applications, enabling a more competitive selection process.

A total of 35 applications were received by the deadline, of which 22 candidates were invited for interview. Subsequently, 12 candidates participated in the training conducted from 13th to 20th May. Of these, 7 candidates successfully passed the assessment, achieving a 75% pass rate, reflecting the rigorous standards applied to ensure competence and readiness for deployment.

This represents a notable improvement compared to the previous year, during which only 6 candidates participated in training and only 2 were successfully deployed at sea.

Seychelles currently has 39 active scientific observers monitoring over 50 purse seine and supply vessels across both national and foreign fleets.

These observers play a critical role in collecting accurate, independent data on fishing practices, including bycatch and tuna discards that is essential for stock assessments and evidence-based fisheries management decisions.

The Department remains committed to strengthening data quality through continuous improvement of recruitment processes, training standards, and overall observer capacity.