The companies active in South Africa’s deep-sea trawling industry have teamed up with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) and the conservation organisation WWF-South Africa to provide an opportunity for 11 new graduates to work in the field of fisheries management, aquaculture, environmental science and related fields.
The South African Deep-Sea Trawling Industry Association (SADSTIA) announced today it is to sponsor 11 paid and structured internships for the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020. The internships will form part of WWF’s highly successful Graduate Internship Programme which aims to provide a practical bridging experience for new graduates to make a career in the field of environmental sciences.
As the only fishery in Africa to be certified as sustainable and well-managed by the Marine Stewardship Council – the world’s leading certification and eco-labelling programme for wild-caught seafood – SADSTIA already works closely with WWF on a range of fisheries improvement projects.
“Our members recognise that youth unemployment is one of the most serious challenges facing South Africa today and the SADSTIA/DAFF/WWF Internship Programme provides us with an opportunity to make a real difference and assist government,” said Terence Brown, chairman of SADSTIA. “We hope the programme will give individuals an opportunity to gain valuable work experience, link to professional networks and possibly establish a career in the fishing industry.”
Eight of the 11 SADSTIA/DAFF/WWF interns will be placed at fishing companies and three will be placed at the Fisheries Branch of the DAFF. The Fisheries Branch has a mandate to manage South Africa’s commercial, recreational and subsistence fisheries and it requires a range of skills – including biological and mathematical knowledge, analytical and managerial ability – to name just a few.
DAFF has played a key role in the establishment of the internship programme and representatives of the Department expressed their appreciation for the opportunity of working with SADSTIA and WWF to tackle the critical problem of youth unemployment. The Department believes the programme will not only provide opportunities and inspiration to to new graduates, but it will help to secure the skills necessary to manage sustainable fisheries into the future. It intends to use the internship programme to build a cohort of young professionals skilled in freshwater aquaculture information management, feed development and animal health and husbandry.
SADSTIA research assistant, Fisokuhle Mbatha, who joined SADSTIA as an intern in April 2017 and was appointed to a full-time position with the Association as soon as her internship was complete, also shared her perspectives at the launch of the SADSTIA/DAFF/WWF Internship Programme, saying:
“My internship was the ‘mobile starter-pack’ I needed to build my career. It connected my academic knowledge of fisheries to the real-life work environment. I was offered many opportunities to network with professionals with expertise in marine science and working alongside them has motivated me to be an internationally recognised marine scientist in future.”
Mbatha holds a Masters Degree in Applied Marine Science from the University of Cape Town.
WWF will call for applications from prospective interns in October. Details of the application procedure will be posted to the SADSTIA website following the public advertisement.
Representatives of SADSTIA, WWF and DAFF launched an internship programme in Cape Town in September. Pictured from left are, Johann Augustyn, secretary of SADSTIA; Madoda Khumalo, strategic services executive at Sea Harvest and head of SADSTIA’s Scientific Committee; Morné du Plessis, CEO of WWF-South Africa; Fisokuhle Mbatha, SADSTIA research assistant; Glenda Raven, director of the WWF Graduate Internship Programme; Belemani Semoli, acting director general of the Fisheries Branch of DAFF; Sue Middleton, chief director of Fisheries Operations Support in the Fisheries Branch of DAFF; Terence Brown, operations director of Sea Harvest and chairman of SADSTIA; and Saasa Pheeha, acting chief director of Fisheries Research & Development in the Fisheries Branch of DAFF.
