CANADA
February 2009
In This Issue
MHC Sea Lice Management . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Sparkling Clean at the
Port Hardy Processing Plant . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Above & Beyond : Thanks for 15 Years. . . 3
Thanks to everyone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Many thanks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Andrew Miller rarin’ to go
on the North Island . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Wonderful views near the farm . . . . . . . . . 4
Annual
Marine Harvest Canada Funspiel . . . . . . . 5
Positive Aquaculture Awareness . . . . . . . . 5
Salmon Foundation
2009 Fundraiser/Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
A Report to our Communities . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know?
The pupil of the eye expands as much
as 45 percent when a person looks at
something pleasing.
Can you solve this Puzzle?
If 1 red valentine equals 3 purple valentines,
and 1 purple valentine equals 4 white
valentines, how many red valentines are
in 24 white valentines?
Answer on Page 3
Comments about
this newsletter?
Please email comments, articles and ideas
to Ian Roberts, Communication Manager
at [email protected]
Wharfside
MHC Sea Lice Management Update
By Clare Backman
Sea lice; a hot topic here
in British Columbia.
There has been millions
of dollars spent over
the past eight years to
understand the sea louse
and its interaction with
farmed and wild salmon.
So, what have we learned
so far and how is Marine Harvest Canada (MHC)
adapting to this sharp learning curve?
It turns out that the sea louse found in BC saltwater
(Lepeophtheirus salmonis) is quite different from
the louse in Europe and may be classified as a new
species. Also, wild Pacific salmon seem to have an
advantage over wild salmon in Europe because they
can actually “shed” sea lice in just a few days.
We now know that
only juvenile pink
and chum salmon
are affected by sea
lice during the first
few days of their
saltwater life. After
reaching a weight
greater than 0.7
grams, all salmon
are resistant to
damage.
We know that we
Figure 1
can’t eliminate
sea lice from the environment because so many
wild fish, including juvenile salmon, carry them.
But we can manage the sea lice numbers on our
fish during the spring season when wild juvenile
salmon are most sensitive (March until June). This
strict management program has been continually
improving for the past six years and now combines
MarineHarvestCanada.com
the timing of smolt entry, harvest timing and a
coordinated treatment of Slice™ to ensure our
salmon host little or no sea lice during the spring
out-migration period.
As you can see in the graph, this management
program has been very effective at reducing the
numbers of sea lice on our salmon each spring.
While this is good news, we won’t stop there. MHC
is actively working with researchers to further
understand the dynamics between sea lice, wild
salmon and farmed salmon. In 2008, we worked
together with the Pacific Salmon Forum whose
mandate is to “examine the issues surrounding the
wild and farmed salmon resource in BC”. The PSF
will provide its final report soon.
In addition, both MHC and Mainstream Canada
have proposed a grow-out free corridor each
spring within
our Broughton
Archipelago
operating area
for a period of
five years. This
will provide an
opportunity to
further study the
relationship of
salmon and sea
lice.
At MHC we are
all about growing
top quality salmon and it seems that managing sea
lice now goes with the territory. I’d like to personally
thank all of our saltwater staff who continue to
demonstrate our leadership on this matter.
Please visit our website to read more of MHC’s
sea lice monitoring and management program at
www.MarineHarvestCanada.com
Sparkling Clean at the Port Hardy Processing Plant
By Gina Forsyth
Dave Pashley, Processing Manager at the Port
Hardy Processing Plant, speaks with pride about
the new Centralized Cleaning System installed
at Marine Harvest’s North Island facility in late
October 2008.
Prior to the system’s arrival, “nothing was
in place other than manual labour,” Pashley
said, adding that staff is now doing less hand
scrubbing. Feedback from the staff has been very
positive, he added.
The addition of the system means proper water
pressure is in place to ensure thorough cleaning
on a regular basis. There are 12 hose stations
located in strategic areas throughout the plant to
provide convenient access. The plant’s automated
conveyor belts now have built-in cleaning and
sanitizing systems, which is state of the art for
today’s fish processing plants.
As part of the installation process, the plant was
closed for three days to allow for its first deep
cleaning using the new system, something that
will continue to be done on a quarterly basis
throughout the year.
The advantages of the equipment, in addition to
less wear and tear on staff, include the potential
for a higher degree of customer confidence in the
2
product. “Marine Harvest’s corporate mandate
is to have zero bacteria production plants”,
explained the Processing Manager, adding
that this long term investment would have
happened regardless of the Maple Leaf deaths
in the summer of 2008 caused by contaminated
meat products and attributed at least in part to
improper cleaning of equipment at Maple Leaf ’s
Ontario processing plant. In today’s marketplace,
with the high degree of confidence consumers
rightfully expect from their food, “we can’t afford
not to do it”, Pashley asserted.
The system was purchased by Norwegian
MarineHarvestCanada.com
company Aquatic AS, a supplier of fish plant
cleaning equipment at a cost of approximately
$600,000. Included in that cost were three
technicians from Aquatic AS, who spent two
weeks on site, working closely with staff to
ensure proper training on the new system.
“(Our) installation was one of the better ones. It
went better than expected”, said Pashley.
A hot water boiler system is expected to be
installed by the end of January, a move that will
complete the state of the art system.
Above & Beyond : Thanks for 15 Years
Terry Love and Phil Stuart were hired 15 years
ago (Jan 18, 1994 & Jan 22, 1994 respectively) by
Stolt Sea Farm. On their 15th anniversary they
happen to be working on the same site together
and what’s more amazing is...they still get along!
They’ve done a wonderful job over the years
doing what this company is all about...growing
high quality salmon. Congratulations guys, we
sincerely appreciate you!
Kelly Osborne (and crew)
Production Manager – Broughton
Thanks to everyone
Photo (l-r) Terry Love, Kelly Osborne, Phil Stuart
at Port Hardy Processing Plant who bought
tickets for our TV and Surround System.
The draw took place on December 12th
and Lenna Prest won!
Many thanks
The Wellness Committee
to Ron Jones and Floyd Cole for
enabling my girlfriend, Tracey Gairns,
to join me for Christmas at Raynor
farm site. It was our first Christmas
together in three years!
Sincerely, Keith Poynter
Vincent Erenst, Thomas Farstad
and Neil Stewart visit the
Port Hardy Processing Plant.
Trivia Puzzle Answer: 2 Red Valentines
MarineHarvestCanada.com
3
Annual Marine
Harvest Canada
Funspiel
You’ll want to sign up right
away for the annual Marine
Harvest Curling Funspiel.
This event is a blast and
is free to Marine Harvest
employees and their partners.
When: Friday, Feb 13, 2009
7:30 pm for social (upstairs)
8:30 pm on ice
Where: Campbell River Curling Club
(Main entrance on Dogwood)
Who: MHC Employees & Partners
RSVP: Denise Hayward
[email protected]
or Linda Thulin
[email protected]
Denise and Linda will be making up teams
of 4 people. If you already have a team of 4,
please let Denise or Linda know.
Please note:
Participants need to bring (not wear) clean
runners to use on the ice only. If you have a
broom, etc., please bring that as well. There
are some brooms at the rink should you
need to borrow one.
Light snacks to be provided as well.
As usual, prizes will be handed out—but
not necessarily for your ‘curling’ expertise
or score!
4
Positive Aquaculture Awareness
10th Annual BC Aquaculture Achievement Awards
Mark your calendars as the 10th Annual BC
Aquaculture Achievement Awards will be held
on Saturday, February 28 at the Eagles Hall in
Campbell River.
FREE Tickets
Ian Roberts, MHC Communications Manager, does
have FREE tickets available to MHC employees (&
their dates) that are interested in attending. If you
would like to attend and take advantage of this
FUN Dinner and Dance (did I mention FREE?),
please RSVP to Ian via telephone at 250-850-3276
ext 7256 or [email protected].
Nominations
All MHC employees are encouraged to send in
a nomination form. This year’s award recipients
will be selected based on merit not on the
number of votes. Please fill out the nomination
form and fax to Cory Percevault @250-286-1190
by Feb. 19th. The nominations are reviewed by
a panel of judges who make the final selection
based on the documentation received from
nominators.
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Eagles Hall, 1999 14th Ave., Campbell River
Dinner and Dance
6:00 pm Cocktails - 7:00 pm Dinner
9:30 pm. - Dance featuring Fish Farmer
Overdrive!
Space is Limited
This event will recognize businesses and
individuals who have made an outstanding
contribution to the aquaculture (finfish and
shellfish) industry.
The Awards include:
· Aquaculture Business of the Year
· Leadership Award
· Environment Award
· Long Term Recognition
· Outstanding Employee Performance
· Outstanding Performance by an Area Manager
(Operations, Production, Processing)
· Rookie of the Year
Tickets for the Campbell River
Salmon Foundation 2009 Fundraiser/Dinner
MHC is a proud partner of the Campbell River Salmon Foundation.
We have 16 tickets (no cost to staff and one guest) for the 2009
Annual Fundraising Dinner Auction & Dance being held in CR
on Saturday, March 21. If you would like
a ticket or two, please contact Ian @
[email protected]
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Andrew Miller rarin’ to go on the North Island
Responsible for developing and implementing
harvesting policies and procedures and ensuring
these operations are conducted to maintain
the highest possible product quality, Andrew
is involved with all aspect of harvesting, from
pre-harvest site preparation
through to off-loading at the
plant. “It’s all about continual
improvement”, Miller said, from
starting with the smaller things
that improve efficiency and
which have already been implemented to moving
onto the larger issues.
secondary courses in Environmental Technology
at Camosun College. Andrew was hired for a
summer as an “at sea observer” with Archipelago
Marine Research, an experience that helped him
realize that making the transition from school to
full-time work was the right
choice.
“It’s all about
continual
improvement”
By Gina Forsyth
Andrew Miller may be the new Harvest Quality
Manager, however, he’s not a new face to either
the industry or Marine Harvest and he’s eagerly
looking ahead to the varied priorities as he
begins his first full month on the job.
Andrew brought to his former position as
Operations Support in Quatsino a varied
work and educational background. His first
aquaculture experience was on a farm in
Kyuquot followed by employment with Aqua
Sea and the Sterling Carrier as well as post-
Born north of Montreal,
Andrew loves the water and
the outdoor life made possible
here on the island for him,
wife Brooke and their two young children, ages
one and three and a half. He also appreciates
the friendliness of the Port Hardy community.
“Approach every opportunity in life with
enthusiasm, regardless of the outcome and you
will learn and grow from the experience” is one
of his guiding principles and with such a positive
attitude, the sky’s the limit.
Wonderful views near the farm
Here’s some pictures from the Broughton. These Orca pics were taken in
January up Tribune channel right beside Glacier.
Jacques Gaudet is the photographer.
MarineHarvestCanada.com
5
MarineHarvestCanada.com
������������������������������
��������������������