Africa-Press – Mauritius. A ten-day Fish Aggregating Devices Training Course for fishermen from Comoros and Madagascar under the Fishers’ Exchange Programme, being organised by the Fédération de Pêcheurs Artisans de l’Océan Indien (FPAOI), kickstarted this morning, at the Fisheries Training and Extension Centre (FITEC) in Pointe-aux-Sables.
The Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo, was present on the occasion. A group of five Mauritian fishermen, six Malagasy fishermen, six Comorian fishermen, and members of the FPAOI are participating in the training.
In his address, the Minister recalled that the FPAOI, regrouping artisanal fishermen of the member countries of the Indian Ocean Commission, aims to allow effective and informed participation of professionals in decision-making processes affecting fisheries management in the South West Indian Ocean.
Mr Maudhoo informed that his Ministry is providing the necessary training facilities for FITEC free of charge and will make available to the FPAOI, the research vessel Investigator II to undertake practical work at sea.
According to the Minister, the training will help improve the quality of life of the trained fishermen and contribute to increase their daily fish catch.
He highlighted that the training programme will introduce fishing under Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD) and cover topics including handling and keeping fish on board, basic seamanship, safety at sea, setting up of fishing gear and construction of FADs’ DCPs.
The training will also cover fishing around the FADs for which four practical days at sea will be carried out, he added. Minister Maudhoo dwelt on the mission of the FITEC, namely to encourage effective and efficient fishing techniques and safety and security at sea and in navigation.
‘We aim at enabling fishermen to earn a better living in line with Government’s fisheries development objectives, by improving their knowledge and skills to operate in the area outside the lagoon around the FADs and the ocean banks’, he said.
The Minister also stressed that the Centre seeks to raise awareness in the protection and conservation of the marine eco-system and promote an ecosystem approach to fisheries.
Moreover, Mr Maudhoo pointed out that through such training programmes, the centre endeavours to encourage fishermen to venture into off-lagoon fishing to be more profitable around FADs by deploying, maintaining and managing a number of FADs around the island.
The Training The interprofessional exchange programme is financed by the World Bank under the FPAOI sub-component of the SWIOFish2 project. The objectives of the activity are to:
Train and equip fishers/participants in terms of knowledge to face the challenges of artisanal fishing and then share their knowledge with their counterparts;
Introduce Malagasy and Comorian fishermen to fishing techniques such as Yowka line, small horizontal surface longline, vertical longline, trolling line and lures, fishing around FADs, and the use of bait living;
Disseminate good practices and the sustainable conservation of their catches; and Help fishermen to increase their incomes through proper conservation and enhancement of their catches.
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