The Minister responsible for Fisheries, Agriculture and Blue Economy, Mr. Wallace Cosgrow, visited Indian Ocean Tuna Limited (IOT) today, accompanied by the Secretary of State for Fisheries and the Blue Economy, Mr. Alain de Comarmond, the Principal Secretary for Fisheries, Mr. Roy Clarisse, and the Director General for Fisheries, Ms. Sheriffa Morel.
The visit provided an opportunity for the Minister and his delegation to gain first-hand insight into IOT’s operations and to engage with the company’s management on matters of mutual interest to Seychelles’ tuna fisheries sector.
During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the company’s tuna processing activities, production capacity, workforce, export operations and sustainability initiatives. The delegation also toured the processing facilities to better understand the different stages of production and the scale of IOT’s operations.
IOT currently employs approximately 1,800 people and processes around 350 metric tonnes of tuna per day.
The visit also highlighted IOT’s efforts in value addition and the utilisation of fish by-products. In addition to canned tuna and frozen tuna loins, the company produces fishmeal, fish oil, tuna skin, tuna heart and tuna roe.
Discussions also touched on sustainability and resource efficiency, including IOT’s zero-waste approach to fish, wastewater management, desalination and use of solar energy.
The visit underscored the importance of continued collaboration between Government and industry in strengthening Seychelles’ tuna value chain, promoting greater value addition and ensuring that the country continues to derive economic and employment benefits from its fisheries resources.
