Characterisation of the Fish Producing and Fish Processing Sectors in Mauritius

Abstract

Since a few years, there is a focus on the expansion of the fish industry in Mauritius in view of its contribution in boosting the economic situation of the country. This study was undertaken to characterise the two main sub-sectors of this industry namely the fish producing and fish processing sectors. A survey was carried out in two phases: a desk review to identify the relevant companies and a mail survey to obtain the requisite details about them to enable their characterisation. The survey findings reveal that there are 14 fishing, 10 fish processing, 1 fish farming companies in Mauritius and 1 which is involved in both fishing and processing activities. Various other features like their number of employees, annual turnover, nature of activities (fishing or fish processing), market (local or overseas), state (chilled or frozen) in which the fish is sold and the range of fish products manufactured were determined. The companies were also classified in terms of ‘small’, ‘medium’ and ‘large’ based on their annual turnover. This preliminary survey provides essential background information for wider national surveys to be carried out.

Keywords: fish industry, characterisation, survey, seafood hub