NFDS assists VMC with Practical Sea Safety and Fishing Course for Pacific Island Fisheries Officers

The Nearshore Fisheries Development Section once again assisted Vanuatu Maritime College (VMC) in Santo Vanuatu with the annual Practical Sea Safety and Fishing Course for Pacific Island Fisheries Officers. The course this year was attended by twelve trainees from ten Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTS) who stayed at VMC in Luganville for the entire month of October. This was the fifth time the course was held at VMC. Previous to that, the course was called the Practical Fishing Module and was held in several PICTs and was an extension of the Nelson School of Fisheries (Nelson Marlborough Institute of Technology) Pacific Island Fisheries Officers Training Course.

The 2010 VMC course consisted of several distinct modules, both classroom sessions and field sessions. During the first week of the course VMC staff presented several of the classroom sessions including seamanship, knots and splices, sea safety, safe operating plan (SOP), first aid, fire fighting, and navigation and chart work. SPC gave each of the participants several manuals and booklets that have been produced by SPC’s Coastal Fisheries Programme over the past decade or so, and copies of each of the Coastal Fisheries Programme’s DVDs on fishing and sea safety for the students to view during their free time.
During the following two weeks SPC assisted VMC staff in conducting the practical fishing modules which included mid-water FAD fishing techniques, trolling, vertical longline, horizontal longline, and deep bottom fishing. During the final week of the course trainees learned how to conduct a FAD site survey using the GPS and echo sounder on T/V Etelis; and they had practical experience in rigging and deploying an Indian Ocean FAD. The new FAD, located three miles east of Aese Island (15°27.500’S and 167°18.250’E in 630 m.) was deployed on the last day of the course. It will be used for the FAD fishing module for the 2011 course.

Previous to the course the staff at VMC had refurbished both of their training vessels, T/V Etelis and T/V Emm Nau. This included not only hull repairs and new paint but the addition of new electronics and safety equipment, including new 406 EPIRBs. T/V Etelis also had four new hydraulic reels installed that are powered by a deck mounted hydraulic power pack driven by a petrol engine. These reels can be used for vertical longline, small-scale horizontal longline, and deep bottom fishing. (http://www.deepdropcommercial.com/content/deep-sea-fishing-reel-432).

For more information, please contact Steve Beverly, Fisheries Development Officer