CANADA
May 2010
In This Issue
Marine Harvest Canada Pilot Land
Based Salmon Farm: April Update . . . . . . . . 1
Continually Improving our ISO Practices. . . 2
Just another day in Paradise. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
The Tours Have Started! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Basketball Tourney Fun!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Swanson Island: Last Harvest Day. . . . . . . . . 3
Boat and Skipper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Volunteers needed for Oceans Day! . . . . . . . . 3
Enter the Aquaculture Awareness Photo
Contest. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Q & A • MH Baseball Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Marine Harvest Family Picnic. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Four award-winners for the sea lice prize. . . 4
And the winner is... Marcel Pelletier!. . . . . . . 4
“Robo” keeps´em organized and
laughing at PHPP. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
FCR and FIFO:
welcome to the world of fish feed. . . . . . . . . . 5
Earth Day Clean up in Klemtu. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Spirit Bear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Happy Mother’s Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know?
The elephant is the
only mammal that can’t jump!
Can you solve this Puzzle?
Why is half of 5
equal to 4?
Answer on Page 4
Comments about
this Newsletter?
Please email comments, articles and ideas
to Ian Roberts, Communications Manager
at [email protected]
Wharfside
Marine Harvest Canada Pilot Land
Based Salmon Farm: April Update
By Clare Backman,
Sustainability Director
international papers announcing our search for a
Land Based Salmon Farm Pilot project manager.
This project does not affect our core business:
to grow premium quality, nutritious salmon in
floating net cages to the highest standards of
environmental sustainability. We are proud of our
decision to adopt lower fish densities to improve
biological and environmental performance with
its rewards just starting to be realized.
Shortly before Christmas we issued a press
release in association with the Coastal Alliance
for Aquaculture Reform (CAAR). The joint
release reported out on two elements of our
ongoing relationship. First, that coordinated
farm management practices in the Broughton
Archipelago had significantly reduced sea lice
on our fish and wild salmon smolts from 2005
to 2009. Our staff know that the lessons learned
in the Broughton were quickly adopted in every
production area and that sea lice are well managed
throughout our business in BC.
Second we announced our intent to build and
test a new pilot closed rearing system. During
the weeks that followed we worked on the pilot
project concept to develop an objective statement
and a formal project plan with element definitions
and timelines. A first principle for success was to
engage a dedicated project manager dedicated
to focus on this exciting project. On April 23rd
we placed ads in several local, national and
MarineHarvestCanada.com
However pleased as we are with our successes, we
know that they will not be enough to ensure the
confidence of the BC public. The key to long-term
sustainability of our business is to demonstrate
ongoing adaptive management of our operations
using the latest technologies to raise healthy
farmed salmon with a minimal environmental
footprint. Taking a leadership role means
Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) will develop
and implement trials of leading edge rearing
technologies and, with recent advancements
in freshwater aquaculture systems, we believe
the time has come to pilot a closed contained
aquaculture system.
By summer of 2011, we intend to begin
construction of a fish rearing system that will be
land based, use a mix of freshwater and saltwater
and be able to re-circulate and reuse 99% of the
water. We will be closely monitoring many aspects
that will define the success of this pilot including
fish health and welfare, maintenance of healthy
water conditions, optimal growth and survival,
waste capture and full control of production costs.
MHC is particularly interested in measuring the
energy use and CO2 footprint of this system, as we
know that controlling energy use is a key focus of
the business.
All qualified candidates are invited to apply for the
project manager position. The posting is located at
www.MarineHarvestCanada.com
Continually Improving our ISO Practices
What can be achieved with a Positive
Attitude and Commitment?
“..the best audit ever” were the words used by both
external auditors during the closing meeting on
Friday afternoon. When asked to pick the best sites
both auditors had to think for a minute and finally
indicated…..
With words like “the best audit ever” and “show
case condition” sites, we can’t help but underline
the fact that the two areas recognized as having
the two “best” sites during this audit, were in fact
introduced to the EMS just over two years ago. Not
to single him out, as many other Site Managers
adopted the same attitude at the time, but I
remember a conversation with John Ilett shortly
after the last merger. During a site visit, John
explained that he made himself familiar with the
documentation and made a commitment to just
“get it done.” It showed even then… and now, well
his site was described as “perfect” by auditor Bruce
Velestuk.
We keep on getting better
As a management program matures it is expected
to improve, to become part of a company’s culture
and we definitely witnessed this during the 2010
audit. In total, five marine and two fresh water sites
were visited, and for those participating in this
year’s process, it was evident that the intensity had
escalated.
Auditors’ Picks
After listening to valuable comments, suggestions
and recommendations from the auditors during
the closing meeting, it was very clear that both were
very pleased with the sites they had visited. When
Vincent asked which of the sites they felt were the
best, both auditors reflected on the sites in both
the Campbell River North and Port Hardy Areas;
they came to settle on Chancellor and Duncan
respectively but not without saying that Shelter Pass
and Lee’s Bay were close behind.
Thanks for a great Audit
I want to thank all who participated in and
committed themselves to complete a successful
audit. You made us proud! I invite everyone to
congratulate your co-workers; give each other all a
pat on the back next time you meet…
Submitted by Josee Migneault, Health & Safety &
Training Manager
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Just anothe
The Tours Have Started!
“It’s a beauty! Jackson Pass, Klemtu, is a Pot of Gold!”
Photo submitted by Jim Houlihan, Assistant Manager at Jackson Pass.
2
When the sun comes out, the tourists start to call. At each presentation that Ian
Roberts (Communications Manager) gives to numerous Island groups over
the winter months, he invites the groups out for a tour. Most groups are happy
to take him up on the offer. The first group this year was the Cumberland
Rotary Club who toured Cyrus Rocks fish farm. Submitted by Catherine Egan,
Cumberland Rotarian
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Basketball
Tourney
Fun!
The basketball tourney
held on April 2nd
in Klemtu was lots
of fun. This annual
tournament is held in memory of Stewart Wallis
and raises funds for the Kitasoo Kings basketball
team to participate in the annual All Native
Basketball Tournament.
MHC invited (l-r) Zara and Devan from the
UBC Thunderbirds Women’s BBall Team to play
on our team – yes, we kinda cheated! But MHC
was once again hammered by the Kitasoo Kings
Zara and Devan
UBC Thunderbirds
although our score was not as low as in the past.
See the photos at our facebook page to find out
the final score! Thanks Zara and Devan for
playing on our team!
Volunteers needed
for
Oceans Day!
Enter the
Aquaculture Awareness
Photo Contest
and help tell the BC salmon
farming story through image!
Send your best photos which communicate
why you are proud to work in and support
the salmon farming industry.
Selected entries will be posted in the Photo
Gallery at www.farmfreshsalmon.org
Top three photos will be awarded Prizes!
First Prize $250;
Swanson Island: Last Harvest Day
Second Prize$100; Third Prize $50.00
(l-r) Brian “Ruggie” Radbourne, Brett Stricker
and Dean Nelson
Oceans Day is a great opportunity to share what
we do with our local Campbell River community.
Port Hardy Crew Boat and skipper Roger MacKenzie pose for
the camera.
Thanks for participating!
Oceans Day is on Saturday June 5th from 10-3.
The Fine print: The photos must be original and
not previously published, once submitted the photos
become property of PAA and may be used for future
publications to support our industry. Please send
photos at full resolution.
If you would like to donate a bit of your time,
please contact:
Find Aquaculture Awareness on Facebook, you can
follow postings by clicking LIKE on the site… PAA is
also active on Twitter, follow PAA @BCAquaculture
Each year, the BC Salmon Farmers Association
has a booth at the event which has fun activities
for kids and also a salmon bbq.
Boat and Skipper
Send photos electronically in jpg files to
[email protected] Please limit your
entry to 10 photos. Deadline for Photo Contest
submissions: May 31st, 2010
Dave Minato at BCSFA @ 250-286-1636 (ext 224).
MarineHarvestCanada.com
WE HAVE A GREAT STORY TO TELL,
LET’S GET IT OUT THERE
3
Q & A • MH Baseball Team
Marine Harvest
Family Picnic
June 26th 12:00pm to 5:00pm
Location: Old Hide-a-way Campground, Off
McAulay Road (south of CR)-directions to follow
As ball season is almost upon us, we thought that
we would share some information about the MHC
Baseball team.
• How many ball teams are sponsored by MHC in
the Campbell River league?
• one
• How many teams are in the league?
• approximately 60
• The team name
• Marine Harvest
• When they play & practice
• Usually no practice, games are on Thursday nights
• Level of play (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
• combination of all levels
• The history of the team
• There has been a MHC team on Thursday nights since 2000
• Anything interesting about the team
• Some of us have played since the start of the team
• Is there room for more players? How to join?
• Right now we have a full roster for this year, but players are always needed for the tournament in July
• Photo?
• No current one available (watch the MHC Facebook page for photos!)
• How it is different from the fish farmers ball
tourney?
• The tourney is for one weekend a year, we
play on Thursday night league from the second
week of April until the first week of July each year.
We play in the tourney every year along with 1 or 2
other MHC teams.
The campground is located on the Oyster River so
there will be swimming so bring your floatation
device! Marine Harvest will be barbequing salmon,
burgers and hotdogs. Please ensure you bring lawn
chairs, activities for the kids and refreshments.
Please RSVP by June 11th to
Suzi Dyson ([email protected])
or Leone Bliss ([email protected])
For those of you who wish to camp overnight,
please email Suzi to book your campsite in advance.
Cost is $10/person to camp.
Submitted by
Suzi Dyson, Human Resources Advisor
Four award-winners for the sea lice prize
The jury received a good number of entries for the sea
lice prize, and came down to two winning ideas after
careful deliberation. There are two winning ideas
but four award-winners, as each of the winning
ideas were presented by two separate employees.
Sea lice is a continuous challenge for our
business. In order to encourage innovation
among our many employees with hands-on
experience from dealing with the issue, we
introduced the sea lice prize at the end of
last year. The ideas had to be presented by
nontechnical staff by the end of January.
The two ideas were each presented by two employees
independently. Because of this, the jury decided to
award four handheld GPS devices to the following
contestants:
• Dean Guest, Marine Harvest Canada
• Walter Ryum, Sterling White Halibut
• Petter Veiberg, Marine Harvest Norway
• Ron Meuleman, Marine Harvest Canada
Congratulations to all four award-winners! The
actual winning ideas will be disclosed once they
have been thoroughly evaluated.
Finding a new approach to an old problem is not an
easy task, and as it turned out, a good number of
the ideas submitted had already been considered or
tested in the past. However, there are two ideas that
are interesting to pursue – although not entirely novel.
The jury, composed by Gordon Ritchie, Olav Breck and
Øyvind Oaland, was impressed by the high interest and
number of entries to the competition, and would like
to thank all participating contestants.
And the winner is... Marcel Pelletier!
Congratulations to Marcel, employee at Larsen Island! He is the winner of the
2 week vacation at Cabo San Lucas, Mexico!
Marcel receives air travel for two from YVR return, 2 weeks condo rental (room
for 4!) and the use of a Hummer for transportation.
MHC was the successful auction bidder on the trip at a recent fundraiser for
the CR Salmon Foundation. We have Marcel’s reaction on video (via telephone
call). Stay tuned on Facebook to witness his reaction to the happy news!
I am still in awe that I won this trip
and the timing could not be better!
(Marcel is getting married this summer.) ;>)
• For more information
• Contact [email protected]
4
Hope to see you there.
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Answer: Take “FE” out of “FIVE” and you get “IV”, four in roman numerals!
“Robo” keeps´em
organized and laughing at PHPP
John Robichaud
Born in Auckland, New Zealand, John is now
responsible for the smooth operation of the styro
room at the plant. A major part of his job is ensuring
that the boxes received from Noboco in Campbell
River are correct, both in size and amount.
What began as a temporary job at the Port Hardy
Processing Plant for John Robichaud turned into
a permanent position and he couldn’t be more
satisfied. He was brought on board to help ready the
plant to open in the fall of 1994 and never left.
He came to Canada at age two and settled with his
family in Cassiar, BC, where his dad worked in the
asbestos mine. They visited Vancouver Island for
summer holidays and loved it. When John was 10,
his dad received a job offer in Port Hardy and his
parents, one brother and one sister relocated without
a second thought, he said.
By Gina Forsyth
John, who is known by the nickname “Robo”,
to differentiate himself from the multitude of
other Johns at PHPP, enjoys golf and has been a
Canadian citizen since he was 12. Prior to joining
the aquaculture industry, he worked in the logging
industry.
If there was only one thing people could know
about you, what would it be? “I’m a funny guy,” Robo
said, adding that he’s someone who enjoys people’s
company and wants to help others enjoy their job.
FCR and FIFO:
welcome to the world of fish feed
By Gina Forsyth
Ever wondered what’s new in the world of fish feed?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. Tim O’Hara, Feed
Manager, recently shared a variety of information
about Marine Harvest’s improvements and expanding
knowledge in this key aspect of aquaculture.
are found primarily in the fish oil portion of the feed.
There are two main ways to decrease these levels – use
fish oil from areas where the contaminants are lower,
such as Chile and Peru and use less fish oil. Using both
factors has reduced contaminant content of feeds by ¾
of mid 1990 levels stated Tim.
Although advances continue to be made in feed
formulas, the focus remains on top quality raw
Although organic pollutants in fish are a small fraction
materials. Marine Harvest fish are
of Canadian Food Inspection
currently fed a feed that is 15 to
“...an energy equation, not a Agency (CFIA) warning levels,
18% fishmeal and approximately
the importance of research
13% fish oil. The balance comes
volume equation,” added Tim. into feeding fish, diets that
from poultry meal, corn gluten
substantially reduce fishmeal and
and vegetable oil.
oil continues from a sustainability perspective.
A feed trial, undertaken at Doctor and Brougham Point
sites in 2009, reduced the level of fish oil to 7% and was
designed to minimize use of marine raw materials.
“During the trial we experienced lower growth and an
increased feed conversion rate (FCR) compared to our
standard diet”, said Tim, adding that this led to less
economic viability. Standard diets have been resumed
but research into fishmeal and oil replacement
continues.
Enter Dr. Erin Friesen, Product Manager at Skretting
North America in Vancouver. Erin focused on this
hypothesis during her PhD research at UBC. Following
lab and site trials with both farmed and wild salmon,
she concluded that when fed a diet rich in land-based
sources of oil such as flax and canola, contaminant
levels in farmed fish were comparable to their wild
counterparts. At the same time, farmed fish had higher
levels of healthy Omega-3 fatty acids than the wild fish.
Much media attention has been focused on the levels
of contaminants in fish feed, such as dioxins and PCBs.
These toxins naturally accumulate in fats and therefore
Erin’s research findings were published in the scientific
journal Environmental Science and Technology in
April 2008 .
MarineHarvestCanada.com
How much feed fish are given is a key component of
both healthy fish and the economic bottom line.
Tim said, “We feed purely to the growth potential of the
fish.” This means they are fed to the point where they
will grow the most rather than to the point where they
feel “stuffed”.
We stop feeding when they’re still actively eating
because that extra nutrition isn’t needed for their
growth, explained Tim. To put it another way, “feed
intake is seen as an energy equation, not a volume
equation,” added Tim.
This improves not only our FCR but influences the
Fish In Fish Out (FIFO) ratio as well. FIFO refers to
“how much wild fish it takes to create one kilogram of
farmed salmon”. The International Fishmeal and Fish
Oil Organization (IFFO) provides a clear explanation,
suitable for the non-scientific reader, of the science
behind accurately calculating the amount of wild fish
needed to produce farmed fish. For more information,
please visit www.iffo.net.
5
Earth Day Clean up in Klemtu
It’s a tradition. For many years, staff at Marine Harvest join the teachers, parents
and school children from Kitasoo School to celebrate Earth Day. After a rallying
speech from Production Manager Terry Smith about the meaning of Earth Day,
the large group of 70 people spread throughout the village of Klemtu to pick
up litter. This year, roughly 350 kgs of garbage was rounded up and disposed of
properly. After the event, the kids and adults were treated to a hot dog lunch and
a chance to win IPod Nanos.
Submitted by Ken Bryla
Spirit Bear at Kid Bay site, Klemtu.
Submitted by Spencer Mason
6
MarineHarvestCanada.com