Seafood Hub

With an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 1.9 m square kilometres together with an extended continental shelf area of 396,000 square kilometres, jointly managed with the Seychelles, Mauritius can boast of a sustainable availability of fish, which has effectively supported its seafood industry. This industry has, in turn, developed value-added fisheries and seafood related activities such as fishing, fish transshipment, storage and warehousing, light processing including sorting, grading, cleaning, filleting and canning.  All seafood companies based in Mauritius operate in accordance with EU standards and are Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) registered to ensure the required level of food and safety compliance of their products.  It is estimated that 25% of the overall canned tuna imports by the European Union originates from the Indian Ocean, with Mauritius being one of the two biggest ACP exporters.  

The Indian Ocean is considered as holding the second largest stock of tuna resources and most of the tuna fishing in the EEZ is carried out either by European purse-seiners or East/South East Asian long liners. 

Fish traffic currently handled at Port Louis is around 150,000 tonnes per annum and has the potential to reach 250,000 tonnes per annum. 

Currently, there are four fishing quays operational in Mauritius.  Two of these quays are located at Trou Fanfaron and are managed by the Mauritius Ports Authority (MPA).  The other quays are operated by Froid des Mascareignes Ltée and Mauritius Freeport Development Co. Ltd (MFDC).  

Mauritius has initiated several measures to promote aquaculture as, according to the FAO, aquaculture remains the fastest growing food production sector representing practically 50% of food fish in the world. The Board of Investment has already commissioned an aquaculture Master Plan while the Mauritius Ports Authority has launched feasibility studies for the development of new and additional facilities for a new fishing port at Port Louis.  One of the recommendations of the Port Master Plan, calls for the construction of a new fishing port at the reclaimed area of Fort William.  The Bain des Dames Fishing Port will have facilities for processing and storage of seafood and provide sheltered mooring for some 120 fishing boats, together with an area to lay out fishing gear.