| Although Mauritius has a total land area of 2200 km2 and an EEZ of 1.6 million km2 due to the presence of outer islands, its total production of fish is relatively low. This is due to the fact that the primary productivity of the surrounding sea is one of the lowest in the Indian Ocean, at 0.15 g/m2/day (FAO/IOP, 1978). In the lagoon and reef drop-off of Mauritius, 2,840 artisanal fishermen produced only 1,663 t of fish in 1993. The MSY of this area is estimated at 1,669 t (Samboo & Mauree, 1987). The demand for fish products is on the increase in Mauritius, due to the improving living standards of the population, and to the increasing consciousness of the benefits to health of fish protein; the per capita consumption has increased from 12.5 kg in 1985... |
