Hello everyone! My name is Gaelle Boniface and proudly wearing my SFA badge as I’m currently following the Blue Economy Internship. The awesome feeling you get on your first ever airplane travel I’m sure I was ready to strap on my seatbelt. Welcomed with a warm morning smile I already felt at home. A small building, branching hundreds of offices and friendly staffs. Mr. Johnny Louys, MCS (Monitoring Control Surveillance) Manager directed me to his office where I spent my first day. The long conversation was interesting and never have I ever heard of MCS. It is a patrolling system around the territory of Seychelles monitoring illegal sea activities. This implementation is also taking place on Praslin and La Digue, setting rules and regulations to avoid illegal fishing in EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone). It is my accomplishment now to publish more information on MCS as it is not visible to Seychelles citizens. After the long chat I knew there was a lot coming my way and may I say, “there will be a lot more to swallow” as it is a great new start and unforgettable experience. What will tomorrow bring? Day 1.Monitoring of lobster Monitoring of lobster is normally done during festive season of December to January. The activity is done to ensure and avoid illegal acts where the agents patrol around Mahe. We went to Bel ombre beach where fishermens came on shore unloading their catch. Day 2.Coastal Patrol Inspection of fishing vessels at sea ensuring that has not been any illegal activities. We also inspected fish traps measured its mesh size (size of the traps holes) to ensure it meets the standard and observing presence of fish species inside. We later create a report on the patrol Day 3. Sea cucumber monitoring It was the most interesting journey where I learned about the different types of sea cucumbers. We inspected and counted the amounts of raw sea cucumber of different species and later found their weight in kilogrammes. Not only used for cooking, sea cucumber is also used for medicines in demanding countries especially Asia and Europe. Day 4. Vessel inspections on Purse-Seiners
Big tuna boats were inspected gathering information on the amounts of tuna they caught. Collecting data and temperatures of fish as well. To enter the well, we must wear warm safety clothes and boots. After the inspections I knew my journey was a handful and I rather be a busy bee because difficult roads often leads to beautiful destinations.
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AuthorThe interns of the Prosperity & Environment: Promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy sector. Archives
January 2018
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