Licenses are issued to Seychelles Fishing Vessels, Foreign Fishing Vessels, and Joint Venture Vessels authorised to conduct industrial harvesting of tuna and tuna-like species within the Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

License fees vary depending on the vessel’s flag and the license duration, which ranges from 6 months to 1 year.

Foreign fishing vessels are only eligible for a license if Seychelles has:

• – a bilateral fisheries agreement with the vessel’s flag state, or

• – an agreement with an association representing the owners of the foreign fishing vessels to which the vessel belongs.

Without such an agreement in place, a foreign fishing vessel cannot be licensed to fish within the Seychelles EEZ.