Leaders of Tomorrow. Basani Fishing’s Pheobius Mullins

Outgoing and affable, with a thorough knowledge of local and international fisheries, Pheobius Mullins is newly established as a fisheries consultant.

First among Pheobius’ clients is Basani Fishing which operates the freezer trawler Basani and the newly introduced Zamani 1 in the trawl fishery for hake. He provides assistance with human resources management – providing a link between the vessels’ crew and the company’s managers – and is also responsible for liaising with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) on a range of permit and regulatory issues.

“I’m part of a young team at Basani Fishing and we’ve got a plan for what we want to achieve with the two vessels,” says Pheobius, explaining that the company is in the process of setting up the same system of crewing and fish processing on the Zamani 1 that has proved so efficient and successful on the Basani. That means identifying talent, skills and experience, and encouraging their development.

“Worldwide there is a shortage of skilled skippers and mates, so we want to build the skills on the vessels and in the company,” he says.

Other clients on his growing list include fishing companies with interests in the large pelagic and Patagonian toothfish fisheries.

Pheobius gained valuable insight into the management of these fisheries when he worked as an assistant director and acting deputy director in the Chief Directorate of Resource Management at the DAFF for three years and two years respectively.

In all, he spent 20 years at DAFF, originally as a research assistant and research technician and later “moving upstairs” to Resource Management. In his early years he enjoyed the physically demanding work of research cruises, and later he sailed as cruise leader on the research vessels Africana and Dr Fridtjof Nansen.

I&J work experience

This experience stood him in good stead for the two-and-a-half years that he worked for I&J. 

Employed as a production manager at I&J, responsible for ensuring the optimal utilisation of the company’s quota. This meant working closely with the skippers and vessel-based production managers on the one hand, and the processing plant and marketing team on the other, ensuring the vessels landed the right type of products at the right time, thereby satisfying the demands of the customers.

“Working for I&J was a good experience and it was a stepping stone to where I am now,” says Pheobius. 

“When I left I&J I decided I didn’t want to work a regular nine-to-five job again, I wanted more flexibility. The world is changing, there’s no reason to only work in one job or for a single client.”

Pheobius says he has always had the ambition of owning and managing his own company and the experience he is gaining at Basani Fishing is invaluable because it is exposing him to the world of business.

He was recently appointed to the Executive Committee of the South African Tuna Association (SATA). Late in October he will travel to Australia to represent another client and form part of the South African delegation at the Thirty-sixth Commission meeting of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), helping his clients to meet the stringent conservation and reporting requirements of the Convention.

With a rapidly filling calendar and years of experience of fisheries management to his credit, Pheobius is excited and energised by the possibilities the future will bring.