Workers thanked for supporting fisheries

Indian Ocean Tuna factory -

Workers thanked for supporting fisheries

All staff of the Indian Ocean Tuna (IOT) factory have been thanked on everybody’s behalf by Natural Resources and Industry Peter Sinon for supporting the country’s second most important industry.

Minister Sinon addressing the guests and IOT staff
Minister Sinon addressing the guests and IOT staff

Mr Sinon did so at a special reception hosted by the IOT at Coral Strand hotel on Saturday when 195 of the factory’s workers got long service awards in a function attended by among others the Labour and Human Resources Development Minister Idith Alexander.

Appreciating their work on behalf of every Seychellois, he commended local workers, many of whom have been with the factory for long – some from as far back as 1987 – and those from other countries, whom he said have made special efforts to adapt to local conditions.

IOT’s general manager Joram Madnack welcomed the government’s appreciation of the workers’ dedication to the company and the fishing industry.

He said the IOT has 2,324 staff, three quarters of whom have been with the company for over 10 years.

“These statistics also show the commitment of our workers,” he said, noting the many areas the company has invested in to make the factory more comfortable, including installation of air conditioning systems in the fish cleaning area.

“We’ve also installed new extraction units in the labeling and casing areas and we will continue to invest,” said Mr Madnack.

“We will continue to maintain our commitment to the compensation agreed in 2006,” he said, outlining other incentives for workers that the company is introducing, which we will publish in a special full colour feature on Saturday.

Paying tribute to the awardees, IOT’s human resources manager Helda Port-Louis said “seeing such a large group of people continuing to work for the company shows there are many people here as well as from other parts of the world who are enthusiastic to work for the IOT”, adding their continued service to the company is a big encouragement.

Employee Vicky Radegonde thanked the IOT management “for their good cooperation and understanding”.

She expressed confidence that despite occasional challenges, “with continued good communication, teamwork and understanding we will go on striving for our goals and eventually say with a smile ‘we have made it’”.

She noted a number of her colleagues have recently been to Thailand on a four-week working visit.

Her colleague Appolinaire Rahajarivoarinelina thanked the guests for celebrating their achievements with them, the IOT management for listening to them, fellow workers for their teamwork, supervisors for their understanding and Seychellois for welcoming those of them from other countries.
“Thank you God, and thank you all,” she said.

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Electronic Monitoring System to be installed on fishing vessels

20-August-2016


The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) is to in the future install the Electronic Monitoring System (EMS) on fishing vessels operating in Seychelles.
A pilot project is already ongoing to test the system’s efficiency, whereby electronic monitoring equipment have been placed on two purse seiners flagged in Seychelles and two accompanying e-monitoring data analysis units have been installed at the SFA headquarters. Its main objective is to prove that EMS can be used as a tool to monitor compliance and to collect scientific data.
The necessary equipment has been provided by the Organisation of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC). The organisation is also offering training on e-monitoring for SFA staff, fishermen and other crew members on the vessels.
To formalise the project, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed this week between the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) and OPAGAC. The documents were signed by Roy Clarisse, the acting chief executive (CEO) of SFA and Julio Moron Ayala, director general of OPAGAC.
Other than OPAGAC, the project which is being implemented by the SFA is benefitting from the assistance of the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The EMS has been developed to monitor fishing activities with a view to improving the quality of scientific data collected. According to the SFA, e-monitoring may be more transparent, accountable and cost effective than on board observers and can be used to increase observer coverage or in situations where boarding of fishing vessels is not possible.
The system is based on the recording of VMS data and collecting and keeping video footage from several cameras installed on the vessels to cover all fishing, loading, unloading and other associated operations.
This pilot project will also compare catch estimates from EMS against those obtained from sampling and oversampling of selected fishing banks in order to ensure that the information obtained is precise and unbiased.

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Artisanal fishermen attend safety at sea training

20-August-2016

About 50 artisanal boat owners and fishers are acquiring new techniques in safety at sea and basic engine maintenance through a two-day workshop.
The training, which was launched yesterday by the Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture Wallace Cosgrow, is being conducted at the Seychelles Fishing Port, Victoria.
It has been organised by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture (MFAg), through the Clissa project, in collaboration with the Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA) following the signing of an agreement in June this year.
Present during the opening ceremony were the principal secretary for fisheries and agriculture Michel Nalletamby, Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) acting chief executive Roy Clarisse, SMA assistant director Captain Wilton Ernesta, project manager for Clissa George Bibi, among other fishermen and representatives of the fisheries industry.
The training, being led by SMA instructors Leslie Judith, Jude Barrack and Frankline Judith, has three components which include basic first aid, basic safety training and marine engine repair and maintenance.
In basic first aid they are learning about ways to control bleeding, CPR for a drowning person, management of an unconscious person and choking, while in safety training they are received knowledge on survival equipment, their importance and uses in case of distress, as well as the type and quality of the equipment which may not put one’s life at risk.
In engine repair the two most commonly used engines were identified as inboard and outboard. The fishermen are learning about the makeup and framework of these engines, the importance of maintenance and servicing of engines and procedures to undergo in case of engine failure.
Today, the training will continue with a practical survival course where the fishermen will be taken at sea to learn how to maneuver and secure a life jacket while in a boat and inside the water along with wet drills which will give them a better chance of survival if stranded at sea.
During his welcoming remarks, PS Nalletamby said, “It is of concern to us that quite a few fishermen can’t swim and the objective of this exercise is for them to be able to protect themselves at sea.”
Minister Cosgrow said many incidents at sea could have been prevented but unfortunately many lives have been lost.
“This training will equip them and give them more knowledge on how to be better prepared if ever they find themselves in difficulties at sea,” he said.
He stated that many fishermen have some knowledge of these topics but a refresher course is good for them to learn new techniques.
Minister Cosgrow also said that his ministry is looking into the possibility to extend the training further in the future as their target is to reach fishermen and artisanal boat owners across the islands.
He also thanked all the actors involved in making this programme a reality.

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