A total of 23 participants received certificates, today, after following a Safety at Sea for Small-Scale Fishers “Train the Trainer” course from 25 to 28 October 2022.
A ceremony was held at Bagatelle in presence of the Acting Director of Fisheries of the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Satish Kumar Khadun; the National Correspondent of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in Mauritius, Mr Pooranraj Khurrun; the Ambassador of Japan to Mauritius, Mr Shuichiro Kawaguchi; and other personalities.
The Fish Safety Foundation from New Zealand was selected by the FAO to organise the course on safety at sea. Topics covered include the following: emergency preparation, safety risk management, boat basics, emergency first, communication and rules of the road.
The course, was held in the context of FAO’s project funded by the Japanese Government entitled ‘Enhancing livelihoods, food security and maritime safety through resilience of fishing communities dependent on coral reef fisheries in the African coastal countries of the Indian Ocean’ (REEFFISH). The participating countries are Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles and the total budget of the project is USD 4.4 million.
The objective of the REEFISH project is to improve coral reef fisheries production for food security through restoring fragile ecosystems and helping fishing communities to better manage their coral resources.
The overall impact of the project is resilience of coral reef fishing communities. It will target hundreds of small-scale fishers and other fisheries professionals in the five countries and will also be geared towards establishing various Marine Protected Areas.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo, Acting Director Khadun, highlighted that after following the course participants would in turn train fishers in various coastal communities in Mauritius and Rodrigues so as to ensure security at sea. The fishermen communities, he added, will have better knowledge to navigate and carry out fishing activities in a safer manner. Mr Khadun also pointed out that the Ministry is encouraging fishermen to venture out of the lagoon to increase their catch.
As for Ambassador Kawaguchi, he reiterated his thorough commitment in blue economy activities while emphasising that many initiatives are being put in place to improve fishing through better management. He also seized the opportunity to congratulate the participants and reiterated his support and assistance to the country.