HIK ABALONE SHOWCASE OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN INDUSTRY AT HERITAGE CAREER EXPO

Hik Abalone Farm Heritage Career Expo

HIK Abalone Farm participated in the Heritage Careers Expo 2022 which was themed, Unlocking the wealth in our heritage held at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s Bellville Campus on Thursday 21 July They were invited by AgriSETA to participate as an exhibitor to showcase HIK Abalone Farm products as requested by Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Science and Innovation, Buti Manamela Research and Development Manager Justin Meys, says it was important to be part of this Expo in order to build relationship with AgriSETA and they will happily participate in similar events in future

Living A Balanced Life

Justin has worked at the HIK Abalone Farm since January last year and primarily focuses on production and grow-out of the abalone.

“My role involves the identification, monitoring and implementation of actions to improve animal growth, reduce damages and minimise waste. It also includes the support and training of staff, when necessary "

Building both horizontal and vertical relationships with associates to strengthen communication within and between departments have been one of the best experiences as well as the teams' ability to come together to get the job done.

Justin says one of the biggest lessons he has learned are that abalone are notoriously slow growing animals and not every experiment will be successful

“The abalone industry is relatively young, every day is a chance to discover something new and that motivates me Being able to help and support others is a huge perk of the job. I also enjoy an active lifestyle and the Research and Development Department allows me to work outdoors, as well as in the office.”

Abalone poaching is rife within the Buffelsjag community

"One day, when the ocean’s abalone resource becomes too depleted, the community will look at other means to source abalone Abalone ranching could be a possible solution to sustainably support the community while increasing the company’s output," said Justin, and adds this would involve tremendous discussions between the community, the company and government to make such prospects a reality. He is a firm believer that one should live a balanced lifestyle

"In filling an academic role, one tends to focus solely on the mind and forgets to look after one’s body "

Justin says living on the farm where fitness facilities are few and far between makes exercising more difficult. For this reason he spent the last few months building a home gymso no more excuses!