Crew Training in Mozambique

On 6 September, Tom Evans, Key Traceability’s Science Manager, held a successful crew training with the Mozambique & Mauritius tuna and large pelagics – longline skippers and engineers in Beira, Mozambique. Afritex operate longlining operations with bases in Mozambique and Mauritius targeting bigeye (Thunnus obesus) and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) tuna, mahi mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius). The fishing vessels are pelagic longliners flagged to Mozambique and Mauritius, fishing on the high seas in the Indian Ocean (and occasionally in national EEZs) operated by Afritex. The stocks are managed regionally by the IOTC – Indian Ocean Tuna Commission. Afritex are making active strides in their journey towards MSC certification and it is expected that the fishery will be ready to be certified within the next few years. The training introduces crew to the MSC and FIP process and benefits of the programs, it also includes education around species identification, best practices, bycatch handling and policies for shark finning and waste management. The training is in the form of a workshop style where the trainers ask for as much feedback as possible to understand the species the vessel interacts with and what practices they currently employ on-board. This enables the fishery to make active changes on the water and fish more sustainably. Feedback received was positive and skippers were glad to be engaged within the process.

“Getting all the skippers and crew in a room and part of the discussion is vital on seeing the success of a FIP. They are the ones fishing and their buy in is a necessity”

Tom Evans, Science Manager

For more information on FIPs or Crew Training please get in contact with Tom at t.evans@keytraceability.com