Maritime students urged to stay the course in their career path |25 November 2022

The Minister for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Jean-Francois Ferrari, has urged students at the Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA) to persevere in their studies as the ministry and other affiliated ministries and partners continue to look for what is best to improve their learning experience.

Minister Ferrari was speaking at a ceremony yesterday at the academy where a donation of fishing gear was handed over to the institution as part of activities to commemorate Fisheries Week.

During the same ceremony, books and posters were also donated to all schools in the country.

The fishing equipment which consisted of fishing lines, hook rings, swivels, leaded plates copper sleeves and coated wires were handed over to the director of SMA, Anura Herath, by Minister Ferrari.

The fishing gear funded by the South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Governance and Shared Growth Programme (SWIOFish) was in support of the academy’s practical exercise for students in Advance Certificate in Fisheries Science and Technology, including those on the Apprenticeship course.

Present at the ceremony was the Minister for Education, Dr Justin Valentin; the interim chief executive of the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA), Philippe Michaud; staff of the Ministry of Fisheries and the Blue Economy and of the SFA; members of the Fisheries Week organising committee; students from the Mont Fleuri secondary school and SMA staff and students enrolled on the two above mentioned learning programmes.

It was Minister Valentin who had the honour to accept the book titled ‘The Shark Fin Soup’ by cartoonist Peter Lalande, which illustrates the threat to the shark population and the poster illustrating the various species of fish found in our ocean sponsored by SFA.

Addressing the audience, Minister Ferrari said the donation is a sign of support and recognition for the work being done at the academy to provide the country with future fisheries workers and for the development of fishing among students.  

Minister Ferrari called on the students at the academy to persevere in their studies as the ministry and other affiliated ministries and partners continue to look for what is best to improve their learning experience.

“We will do our best to give you the best education, the best training possible and also offer you the opportunity to work in a sector that you love and that you will enjoy,” said Minister Ferrari, who reminded the students of the importance and benefits of working in the sector.

Speaking about the books and posters, Minister Ferrari said that they have been given to schools so that students get to develop an interest in fishing and conservation and to start thinking of a career in the fishing sector at an early age.

‘The Shark Fin Soup’ is a 56-page comic book about the sustainability of sharks. The main character is local hero ‘Zak’, who went on a mission to find the culprit behind shark finning in our waters following a myth that said that you will become stronger if you eat shark fins.

The accompanying photographs show some highlights of the handover of the donations.

Patrick Joubert