FOLLOWING the article in the Weekly of May 17, entitled “Spear fishing - luxury for the rich and powerful in Seychelles' waters", this newspaper has received credible evidence that this is a favourite sport of some Russian visitors too.
This comes over three decades after conservationists like Kantilal Jivan Shah, the late Guy Lionnet and others strongly advised the government of the time to ban spear fishing as with the opening of the islands to tourism in 1972 - with the international airport's inauguration, various fish species could be wiped out - for sport by unscrupulous visitors.
Our previous article had focused on some Arab visitors, presumably friends of President Michel, some of whom received his assent to disembark on Fregate Island, though informed the resort does not cater for day trippers. The fish, the Arabs speared for the sheer pleasure of it and thrown away to die a slow a painful death.
This newspaper has since learnt from a yacht skipper how one party of Russians had come to Seychelles expressly for spear fishing.
The skipper said he noticed that the group of Russian visitors carried very bulky luggage. Thinking this reflected on their wealth and this could include quite a few vodka bottles of which he would enjoy an occasional sip while off the outer islands, he asked no questions.
It was after they had anchored off one of the coral islands and he had attended to the engines believing his guests were fishing, according to the skipper when he got out of the cabin he got the shock of his life.
Two of the visitors had dived overboard and within minutes surfaced each with king-sized groupers, while their comrades already had their cameras rolling shooting pictures of theirs friends with spear guns in hand and speared fish at the end of the barbs.
The skipper shouted that this was illegal and must stop, but he got a few grunts in response.
Having studied in the former USSR and being able to speak Russian, he tried to impress upon them that if caught, they could at worst be deported, while he stood to lose his skipper's licence and livelihood, in addition to facing prosecution.
One of the Russians replied simply that they must avoid getting caught and the skipper should take them further away off the usual shipping lanes and tourism circuit, where they will not be spotted by anyone.
When he refused, a couple of the Russians turned aggressive, claiming that they had paid a lot for the trip and had come to Seychelles expressly to spear fish.
The skipper heaved anchor and set course for Praslin where the yachting company was based. He was also fearful of the risks as the Russians sulked and talked quietly among themselves, he broke into a cold sweat at the thought that he was at the mercy of mafia guys, used to killing in their own country - that was just months after one Seychellois from Praslin had disappeared without trace in Moscow, while doing a land deal with a Russian couple. The poor skipper thought he too could at any time be executed by his passengers.
At last they reached Baie St Anne, where everyone gave their version as to why the excursion was cut short. The skipper received little sympathy from his employers, whom he left soon after. The reports show that some operators abroad in fact market our islands as a spear fishing destination in the same manner that many other 5-star visitors are promised a" beach of their own" and react angrily whenever their domain is "trespassed” upon by the natives.