Sharks are paying for the closed European Union (EU) swordfish market with their fins according to a concerned Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA).

When the European Union (EU) sounded the alarm 18 months ago that Seychelles' swordfish has a high level of cadmium, local fishermen went for tuna, but fell short of the necessary expertise to catch it.

They have now opted to fish sharks for their fins, commercialising what was previously an artisanal trade and worrying SFA and other conservationists.

SFA now hopes to train the islands' fishermen how to catch tuna, while at the same time putting pressure on the European Union to recognise that cadmium from swordfish is no more dangerous, if at all, than that found in chicken kidneys, lamb or pork.

"Our swordfish has between 0.3 and 0.5 parts per million (ppm) of cadmium, and therefore falls within the 1.0 ppm limit set for these other products, yet people eat less swordfish than kidney pies because the fish is more expensive in the first place," SFA managing director, Rondolph Payet told Nation.

A number of the 50 fishermen affected said that whereas EU has put a caution on Seychelles' swordfish, Reunion, which is part of France, and therefore within the EU, continues to sell its swordfish into the "domestic" market.

Seychelles could go for alternative markets outside the EU, according to Mr Payet, but being part of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, it enjoys zero taxation when exporting to Europe, where the fish fetches prices anyway, according to Mr Payet.

"Sharks are long live species with a low fecundity, spawning late and getting only a few offspring," Mr Payet said, wishing the fishermen had been successful in catching other species, particularly tuna. He nevertheless said that of the artisanal fishermen's catch, up to 65 percent consisted of swordfish and to diversify so as to get tuna required special equipment and baits.

"For tuna they have to set their lines at a depth of between 100 and 200 metres, precisely where the warmer and the cooler waters meet," he said, adding that to get the spot right requires either the use of satellite pictures or special equipment used by well-equipped and experienced tuna fishermen.

Regretting that many of the fishermen had invested heavily in boats and gear to catch swordfish, Mr Payet said some have now had to sell their boats while others are now targeting sea cucumbers which have in the past had to receive SFA protection from over-exploitation.

"The trade has really suffered, said Mr Joe Tirant, the owner of a fish processing plant, one of the two main ones on the islands that were buying swordfish from boat owners and selling it overseas.

"These people now have little alternative but to go for shark because it is easier to catch than tuna, but all they need are the fins, so the rest of the fish goes to waste," he said.

Agreeing, Mr Payet said that although a few of the fishermen are trying to trade in shark skin and bones which have a demand in certain countries as raw material for medicinal products, the prices the two products fetch are not that good.

Seychelles exported 411 tonnes of fish from the semi-industrial sector in 2001 and 200 tonnes in 2002, but according to Mr Payet, this figure has dropped dramatically.

"This is quite a loss, coming at a time the country could do with more foreign exchange," Mr Payet said, explaining that the EU never really banned Seychelles swordfish, but rather placed a "red alert" on it discouraging veterinary authorities from issuing certificates of wholesomeness given the high risk that the importers may reject the fish on the basis of the EU classification.