Dr. Arvin Boolell Calls for Community Coral Restoration in Mauritian Lagoons

A wreath-laying ceremony was organized by the Fishermen Welfare Fund in collaboration with the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy, and Fisheries on Thursday, November 27, at the public beach of Morne to commemorate World Fisheries Day 2025. During this event, symbolic distributions of coolers and raincoats to fishermen also took place.

World Fisheries Day, celebrated annually on November 21 worldwide, aims to highlight the importance of sustainable fish stocks globally, enhance the human rights of artisanal fishing communities, improve working conditions for fishermen, and eliminate illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing.

The Minister of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy, and Fisheries, Dr. Arvin Boolell, along with the Deputy Minister, Fabrice David, members of the National Assembly, and other dignitaries attended the event. In his speech, Dr. Boolell emphasized the need to empower fishermen by providing them with the proper equipment and training to increase their efficiency. He reaffirmed that the ministry would consider fishermen’s requests to create more landing stations around the island and ensure their safety at sea with a vessel monitoring system.

The minister also stressed the importance of community coral restoration in the lagoons surrounding the island. He elaborated on measures implemented for the empowerment of fishermen's children, the necessity to monitor unregulated fishing in our exclusive economic zone, and the Blue Economy Forums.

For his part, Fabrice David noted that marine biodiversity and the fishing sector were thoroughly discussed during French President Macron's official visit last week. He also took this opportunity to commend the fishermen for their courage and contributions to the country’s economic development. "Several projects are underway, including the installation of ice machines around the island to help fishermen better preserve their catch. One machine will soon be operational at Case Noyale," he stated.