Greenpeace vessel Arctic Sunrise visits Seychelles

The Greenpeace International vessel Arctic Sunrise has arrived at Port Victoria and will be conducting scientific research at the Saya de Malha Bank between Seychelles and Mauritius up to 30 March 2021. 

The purpose of this expedition is to collect information about the biological diversity present at the Saya de Malha Bank and to contribute to knowledge of the value of such sites for conservation. This will include mapping marine diversity of the region including sharks and whales by means of environmental DNA sampling. Seagrass meadows and coral reefs will also be studied.

Island Conservation Society received a grant from Greenpeace in 2015 to assist in the work commenced in 2014 to help better understand the impacts of FADs in the outer islands of Seychelles. ICS created and uploaded a video podcast on YouTube to help describe the problem at hand, which can be viewed here.

Sadly, FADs continue to be a serious issue, causing damage to coral reefs throughout Seychelles. This has already been highlighted in 2021 by ICS on this blog and in articles published in Seychelles Nation and Today in Seychelles.