Wharfside
December 2013
In this issue
Leading the Blue Revolution:
On the Cutting Edge
What does
Leading the Blue
Revolution mean
to me? It means
that in all areas of
our operations we
will be looking for
and implementing
best practices.
Leading the Blue Revolution:
On the Cutting Edge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MHC is applying for
Paramove 50 permit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Dale Gowan’s aquaculture career
spans four decades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Eyes on the Goal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Let’s not slip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
10 Myths about Marine Aquaculture. . . . . . . 4
Santa’s coming to a town near you!. . . . . . . . 5
Got photos? Win $$. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Global Connections during
Final 2013 BAP Farm Audits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Thanks Skretting! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know?
The oldest fish in captivity is an
Australian lungfish named “Granddad”
who lives at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium.
He turned 80 this year!
Trivia time!
What was the first film to feature
a toilet on screen?
Answer on Page 4
Comments about
this Newsletter?
Please email comments,
articles and ideas to Ian Roberts,
Communications Manager at
[email protected]
Does that
statement seem
a little bland?
Perhaps to some, but it depends on how
you look at it. It’s easy to get distracted and
focused on things that are new and shiny,
but as with all things in life, just because
something is new doesn’t necessarily
mean that it’s better. Questioning and
then evaluating our practices and results
on a continuous basis will make us better.
Refusing to accept the status quo will
drive us to even greater successes. This
attitude will not only improve our results,
it will make our work more enjoyable and
challenging.
By Dr. Diane Morrison
Fish Health and
Food Safety Director
In the area of fish health, I have tried to
ensure that we are ‘on the cutting edge’. I take
best practices from the other agri-industries
(poultry, swine, beef, and dairy) and apply
them to our operations. For example:
• Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
practices are well established in other agriindustries. Marine Harvest Canada was the
first to track and report on sea lice treatment
efficacy, to incorporate emamectin benzoate
(active ingredient in SLICE) bioassay
testing, and to work with DFO to access
an alternative sea lice treatment. While our
current management of sea lice - a naturally
occurring marine parasite - is successful,
sourcing alternative treatments is an
important part of IPM. We are hopeful that
all required permits will be granted and use
of a new treatment for BC - Paramove® 50
(hydrogen peroxide) - will begin in early
2014.
• We continue to look for non-medicinal
sea lice controls. You might not have heard
that we are actively looking for the Pacific
lumpsucker. The Atlantic species of this
fish is currently being used successfully
to control sea lice infestations and reduce
treatment requirements in Norway. We
will work with DFO and other researchers
to document how effectively the Pacific
lumpsucker removes sea lice from Atlantic
salmon.
• Our Freshwater team’s family broodstock
program will use genetic selection to drive
production improvements. For example, this
spring we will use a small group of fish from
this program to investigate if some families
are ‘resistant’ to Kudoa infection.
• Biological data analysis in salmon farming
has not reached the same level as other
agri-industries where it has resulted in
significant improvements. Over the years we
have improved how we capture and use our
production data, but the big discoveries will
Continued on page 2
MHC is applying for Paramove 50 permit
for continued reduction of Slice over time,
so we are seeking to have another option for
sea lice management.”
Paramove 50™ has been used successfully
elsewhere, including Eastern Canada, and
is applied topically as a bath to remove
small external fish parasites attached to the
salmon. After treatment, the compound
rapidly breaks down into water and oxygen.
After receiving initial authorization from
Health Canada for a new treatment
option for sea lice management in British
Columbia, the application has now been
submitted to the Province.
The use of Paramove 50™ will enable the
company to continue managing sea lice
and reduce its use of the drug emamectin
benzoate (Brand name Slice™) - the only
effective treatment available to BC salmon
farmers for the past 14 years.
“Our current use of Slice is minimal and has
been very successful,” says Clare Backman,
Marine Harvest Canada’s Director of
Sustainable Programs. “However, strict 3rd
party salmon certification standards press
A person wishing to contribute
information about the treatment site for
the evaluation of this permit application
may send an email to communication@
marineharvestcanada.com by December
16. Please use subject title “Paramove 50
Application”.
For more information and supporting
documents please visit the Marine
Harvest Canada website at: http://www.
marineharvestcanada.com/news141113.
php
Marine Harvest is proud to support Port Hardy
Minor Hockey, and has purchased 36 brand new
jersey for local kids this hockey season.
Continued...
Leading the Blue Revolution: On the Cutting Edge
come when we data-mine multiple years of
results.
• Improving our understanding of how
‘stress’ affects our salmon performance
is another area which requires additional
2
focus. The other agri-industries have been
able to document how handling or housing
can affect productivity. In salmon farming
the techniques and tests to do similar
comparisons don’t currently exist. We’ll
continue to discuss this with our production
MarineHarvestCanada.com
department, and researchers, to ensure we
drive this development.
Leading the Blue Revolution means driving
initiatives which ensure we are the best that
we can be in everything we do.
Dale Gowan’s aquaculture career spans four decades
He likes the challenge of continual
improvement and enjoys coordinating
staff and paying close attention to the early
stages of the fish life cycle through sorting
and checking the eggs.
Dale Gowan
By Gina Forsyth
As the only manager Tsulton Hatchery
has known in its 11 years, Dale Gowan is
deservedly proud of the accomplishments
he and his staff continue to enjoy. “In 2012
we spawned 45 million eyed eggs,” he
says. The hatchery is located south of Port
McNeill, almost 200 km north of Campbell
River, and employs up to 8 people.
Dale was born in St. Andrews, New
Brunswick and completed high school in
nearby St. George. After grade 12, Dale
studied theology for three years at Bible
College in Fredericton and following that,
spent four years as an Assistant Pastor in St.
Catherines, Ontario.
“After Ontario, I missed the water. I’m a son
of a lobster and herring fisherman,” says
Dale. He returned to St. George and laughs,
“It was Dean Guest (Marine Harvest’s
Freshwater Production Manager) who
hired me in early 1988”. His career began
at Stolt Sea Farm as a night watchman
and then segued into maintenance. Dale
ultimately became assistant manager at
Digdeguash (pronounced ‘diggitywash’)
Hatchery in New Brunswick. He also spent
time in the United States, managing a New
Hampshire hatchery facility.
An internal job posting at Stolt Sea Farm
brought Dale and his wife Janice to BC
in 2002. “I like working with brood and
spawning, and that was part of what we
did. And, I wanted to see BC for myself,” he
explains.
He and his wife Janice, who works at
Marine Harvest’s Port Hardy Processing
Plant, live on-site at the hatchery. They have
been married for 30 years after meeting at
Bible College, and have three kids together.
Away from work, Dale adores spending
time with his grandchildren, some of whom
live in Port McNeill. “We do everything and
anything, from going to the beach to flying
kites and remote control airplanes.” He
also makes time for outdoor photography,
adding that “we’ve seen elk, deer, and a
black bear within 100 feet of each other.”
Eyes on the Goal
Marine Harvest Bandits’ Krista Drake
battles for the ball against the Courtenay
Revolution last month in Campbell River.
Marine Harvest has supported the Bandits
team– who play in the Mid-Island Women’s
Soccer League - for the past 6 years.
MarineHarvestCanada.com
3
Let’s not slip
By Blaine Tremblay, Health & Safety Advisor
This year we have had many accidents
involving slips, trips, and falls. Through
investigations and using Brain Safe
concepts to better understand why
these incidents occur, it is no surprise
that attention loss, fatigue, distractions,
and time constraints all play a role. Our
brains operate out of habit 99.7% of
the time, and are genetically wired to
rest and conserve energy as much as
possible. In order to combat this pattern
of accidents we need to continue to put
tools and processes in place to remind
our brains to pay attention to our
surroundings, moods and attitudes.
There has been a very large increase
in the amount of eye checks – a great
tool for reducing accidents - being
performed. Be Vocal is also a strong tool
to help reduce accidents: we have to
remind ourselves to speak up when we
see or notice hazards in our work place
so they can be corrected before someone
is injured.
How many of you can relate to the
following situations?
-Walking past a tripping hazard and
assuming that because “we made it”
safely by that everybody else will too.
-Lifting or moving heavy items by
yourself and not asking for help.
-Climbing on whatever is close by
to reach something in a high place
(standing on a chair instead of using a
ladder).
-Leaving items in a walkway “for just
a second” while we hurriedly work on
getting something else done.
In your workplace, it’s important to
be vocal about addressing hazards
during your scheduled meetings. More
importantly, make sure you address new
developing hazards immediately and
communicate them to the rest of your
team.
Action Item: In your next monthly safety
meeting, discuss the level of immediate
hazard reporting currently at your site
and rate it by the following- N (needs
improvement), S (satisfactory) and G
(Good). Discuss what can be done in
the future to make it stronger or to keep
it strong for injury prevention and the
safety of your team!
Sincerely, Blainesafe
10 Myths about Marine Aquaculture
4
expressed myths surrounding marine
aquaculture, including:
6. Farmed salmon is full of harmful “coloradded” dyes.
1. Farmed fish and shellfish don’t taste as
good.
7. Farmed fish are contaminated.
2. Farmed salmon are full of sea lice.
9. Aquaculture uses more wild fish than it
produces.
3. Aquaculture causes diseases in wild fish.
4. Fish waste from net pen aquaculture harms
the ecosystem.
5. Farmed fish are full of harmful antibiotics.
MarineHarvestCanada.com
8. Farmed fish isn’t safe to eat.
10. The U.S. doesn’t need aquaculture.
To see how these myths have been addressed,
go to http://tinyurl.com/n8pqjn8.
Answer: Psycho (1960) (Janet Leigh flushes notes down the toilet)
November was
“Seafood Month”,
and in response
to a large number
of rumors
circulating on
social media and
some websites, the U.S. National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
decided to tackle some of the most commonly
Santa’s coming to a town near you!
Santa is taking time from his busy schedule
to visit Marine Harvest families before
Christmas!
and their families – a truly memorable
keepsake. In Port Hardy, he has arranged for
some bouncing fun with Bounce-a-rama.
MHC is excited to again host the popular
“Breakfast with Santa” in Campbell River
and “Lunch with Santa” at the Port Hardy
Processing Plant. Santa says that this year
he has decided to bring along his wife and a
couple of elves to enjoy the delicious meal,
and help hand out gifts to all the good boys
and girls.
If you haven’t already RSVP’d, please do so
ASAP!
As an additional treat, Santa is also bringing
to the Campbell River event the Four
Frames Photo booth to take extraordinary,
funky, unique photos of Marine Harvesters
Campbell River (RSVP to Lauren.
[email protected])
December 21 (9-11am)
The Anchor Inn
Port Hardy Processing Plant
(RSVP to Tina.Gonsky@marineharvest.
com)
December 14 (11am-2pm)
Port Hardy Processing Plant
Got photos? Win $$
In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, the
Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC)
is holding a photo contest. The AAC is
encouraging people to submit aquaculture
related photos to be judged for a cash prize of
$100. Photos may be published on the AAC
website and publications in 2014.
Please submit high quality JPG photos
(approx. 1 megabyte), along with the name
of the photographer and a short description
of the photo. Photos will be judged based
on image quality, composition and content.
Please email all submissions to AAC by
January 31, 2014.
For more information and/or submissions,
please email the AAC Office at: aac@mar.
dfo-mpo.gc.ca
Good luck!
Knocking ice off the net with a hockey stick: can it get any more Canadian? (photo by Keith Wood)
MarineHarvestCanada.com
5
Global Connections during Final 2013 BAP Farm Audits
Thanks
Skretting!
Jay Pudota monitoring plankton at Quatsino Sound
What do Memorial University of
Newfoundland, the village of Bhimavaram
in India, and a BAP audit at Quatsino’s
Monday Rocks farm have in common? As
it turns out, more than you’d expect. Our
auditor during the final audits of 2013,
Conrad Powell, shares connections with
Jay Pudota, one of two technicians who
monitor plankton in Quatsino Sound.
Conrad is originally from Newfoundland
and studied at Memorial University.
During the employee interviews required
by the standard, Conrad has had a few
opportunities to connect with fellow
Newfoundlanders now working in BC.
However, he’s never had a connection
between Newfoundland and a village in
India where he did a few days’ work years
ago. Speaking with Jay, who came to
Canada from India to study aquaculture
at Memorial, he asked what city Jay was
from. Conrad has only been to two
locations in India – the city he flew into
and Bhimavaram where he worked.
Unbelievably, Jay’s home is just outside
Bhimavaram.
The BAP audits in early November were
the last of 2013. These sites achieved BAP
certification on November 26, just three
weeks after audit – a new record for Marine
Harvest Canada! Many thanks to Monday
Rocks, Koskimo and Humphrey Rock staff
for all of their efforts preparing for audit.
On a special note, this was a recertification
audit for both Koskimo and Humphrey
Rocks which were BAP certified during
their previous cycles. Good job everyone!
twitter.com/MHCanada
6
facebook.com/MHCanada
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Henriette Alne (MHC
Feed Manager) passes
along Vancouver Canucks
hockey tickets to Chief Tom
Nelson of the Quatsino First
Nation, on behalf of Marine
Harvest’s feed supplier,
Skretting. The tickets were
gifted to the Nation by
Skretting for an upcoming
Christmas raffle.
bit.ly/MHCanada