IOT opens its doors to students to commemorate World Tuna Day |03 May 2023

The commemorate World Tuna Day yesterday, the Indian Ocean Tuna (IOT) canning factory in collaboration with the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA),organised a visit to the cannery for students in secondary and post-secondary institutions.

The aim of the visit was to introduce the processing plant to the students so that they get to know what goes on in the different sections on a daily basis, with regard to preparing the fish and the different quality assurances in place to ensure that the end products are safe to consume.

It is hoped that the visit would possibly inspire them to take a career at the factory when they leave school.

The visit for the Anse Boileau, Anse Royale, Belonie, English River and Mont Fleuri secondary schools and for the Seychelles Maritime Academy (SMA), the Seychelles Business Studies and Accounting (SBSA), the Seychelles Institute for Teacher Education (SITE) and the National Institute of Health and Social Studies (NIHSS) was held at different intervals during the day from 8am to 4pm.

So as not to disrupt its operation, only a group of twelve, consisting of students accompanied by their teachers were allowed during one visit which started at the fish racking followed to the cookery, fish cleaning, fill and cap, labelling and casing before ending in the cannery laboratory. Along the way, the students were able to interact and put many questions to the supervisors of the different sections.

The press was able to follow a group of students from the Anse Royale secondary school and at the end of their visit, 15-year-old Anusha Payet and 15-year-old Gobson Rosine, both from S5, said that the visit was interesting as they got to learn about the processes to can tuna for the local market and for export.

“We got to see where the tuna heads are chopped off before going into the cooker, and also where after they are cleaned and canned for the local market and for export. I am somebody who is very interested in the sea and where fish is concerned I am present,” said Anusha, who noted that she felt disturbed by the fish smell at first to which she later managed to get accustomed.

“I am very interested in the work being done here at the factory, especially in the laboratory which I think I can do well as a lab technician. The work demands a good academic background in terms of maths and sciences, especially chemistry, which I will put more emphasis on in my studies,” said Gibson, who noted that he was also fascinated with the level of hygiene at the factory.

The assistant PR and communications manager from SFA, Darrel Antat, said they wanted to get the students exposed to the largest canning factory in the Indian Ocean so that they would get inspired to choose a job at the factory when they start their job hunt upon leaving school.

He added that SFA is very appreciative of IOT for opening its doors to the students and hopes to collaborate again with the factory to give opportunities to other students who haven’t had the chance to make the visit and to know what goes on there and on the variety of job opportunities that exist.

“We held the visit today on the occasion of World Tuna Day to also show the students the importance of the factory and tuna in our economy, given its immensity, the large number of workers and the many career opportunities that exist for them to choose from,” Mr Antat said.

IOT was established on November 14, 1995 after the acquisition of Conserveries de l’Océan Indien (COI) which was formed 10 years earlier, in October 1985. It processes mostly yellowfin and skipjack tunas for which the life span of those canned in brine is three years and those canned in oil is five years. 

The accompanying photos show the group of Anse Royale students being guided on a tour of the factory.

Text & photos by Patrick Joubert