The authorized fishing period for bichiques began on September 1 and will end on February 29, 2024. Since December 2021, specific regulations govern the fishing activity of bichiques in Reunion, including a period of six months of closure to encourage the renewal of the species, which is becoming more and more rare.
From September to February inclusive, only fishermen who have declared themselves and have been formally authorized by the State services will be able to fish for redfish.. For over a year, fishermen's associations are working on applications for environmental authorization and temporary occupation for the maintenance of traditional canals on 13 rivers, helped by exceptional financial support from the State. Several options exist for requesting a fishing authorization. For amateur freshwater fishermen who purchase a fishing license from the Departmental Association of Amateur Gear and Net Fishermen (ADAPAEF) and a license from the Environment Department, planning and housing (DEAL) or recreational river fishermen who have declared their widowhood to the South Indian Ocean Sea Directorate (DMSOI) : each authorized fisherman can have a maximum of two woves and fish a maximum of 3 kg per day, to consume within the home. For professional river fishermen, who hold a shore fishing license issued by the DMSOI : each authorized fisherman can have a maximum of four vouves per professional fisherman, and has the possibility of selling the product of his fishing with sales notes. Professional fishermen at sea, who have had their mosquito net checked by the DMSOI, are also authorized to sell the product of their catch with sales notes in the name of their vessel.
Regular checks
The rules to apply for each fisherman profile are recalled on the DMSOI and DEAL websites.. The regular checks put in place on all of the island's waterways will make it possible to verify that fishermen have taken the necessary steps to carry out the activity and that their practices comply with regulations.. The brigades will be particularly attentive to maintaining maximum flow in the free channel of the river (not fished), the pollution of waterways and the marketing channels for this extremely lucrative resource. Indeed, the bichiques, like all fishing products, can only be purchased from a professional in good standing, who must be able to demonstrate the origin of their products using invoices. Offenders who put the resource at risk and who exercise unfair competition with professionals who respect the rules risk fines of up to 75,000 euros. (cf. art. L.173—1 of the environmental code) and confiscation of their fishing gear.
A rarefied resource
Controls are all the more important as fine bichiques and large bichiques remain rare at the mouths.. Thanks to mandatory catch declarations sent by fishermen at the end of the season, it is estimated that around 800 kg of bichiques were caught during the 2022-2023 season, a far cry from the tens of tonnes fished annually in the last century. These data will have to be consolidated in the coming seasons through the establishment by State services and their partners of a global monitoring program for bichique populations.. This study carried out on the different rivers of the island will be taken into account for the revision, in 2025, of the decree regulating this practice.
