Edition Four – 2020
THE RONJA STORM ARRIVES – Breeding Salmon for the Future – Forest Home Riparian Restoration – Engaging with Education Providers
– ‘A cornerstone of the current and future success of Huon comes down to our fish and how they’re selectively bred to be resilient.’ –
Introduction Here at Huon we always have a lot going on—whether it is introducing new vessels into our fleet or working with education providers to find the next generation of employees, the time truly does fly. Those who have been with Huon for many years (or since the very beginning) have the benefit of looking back and seeing how significantly the company has evolved over the years. This evolution isn’t special to Huon, we’ve seen the entire industry change and mature. A cornerstone of the current and future success of Huon comes down to our fish and how they’re selectively bred to be resilient. It is important to remember that while this is great for Huon, it really is a joint endeavour and many people should be recognised for their hard work and dedication to the program.
The selective breeding story in this edition of the Huon Story marks the first time that we’ve spoken widely and publically about selective breeding. We felt the time was right because while selective breeding is very common in primary industries, it is also misunderstood by some as being “genetic modification (GM)”. The argument could be made that it is, but only through natural means rather than tinkering with gene splicing and editing. Take carrots for example, we don’t see these perfect orange vegetables in the supermarket by accident—people have been shaping plants and animals for as long as farming has existed and this is why commercially-farmed carrots look and taste the way that they do while being GM-free. Also in this edition you’ll find a nod to the history of our Bridport Hatchery which dates back to the 1960's when it was founded by Alec Purves. The site too has changed and evolved over the years and we’re pleased to be able to show you
historical photos from the site because we know that a picture is worth a thousand words! And while a year might seem like the blink of an eye, it has now been a 12 months since we published the first edition of the Huon Story. We have enjoyed hearing feedback from all of you about our magazine and we hope that you enjoy reading our latest instalment. Happy reading, The Editor — The Huon Story is proudly written, designed and printed in Tasmania.
THE HUON STORY
Edition Four
– Organic-standard fodder on the Forest Home farmland –
Cover Story The Ronja Storm Arrives
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Sustainability and efficiently produce product
Forest Home Farmland’s Organic Certification
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Riparian Zone Restoration at Forest Home
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Breeding Salmon for the Future
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Bridport Hatchery: 55 Years of History
Provide the best quality of service possible
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Ultimate Huon Spring Experience Competition
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A Pocket Guide to Antibiotics
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Salmon Superfood
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Refocussing Processing
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Striving to be leaders in our industry Pathway Program Farm Tour
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Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
Matt St Jack: From Sweeping Floors to Apprentice of the Year 16 Engaging with Our Communities 17 A Fresh Approach to Community Grants
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Engaging with Education Providers
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Innovation Program
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Fish tales What Our Customers Are Saying
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Around the Farm
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COVER IMAGE: The Ronja Storm arriving in Hobart
CONTACT: E: communications@huonaqua.com.au P: 03 6295 8111 Level 13/188 Collins St Hobart TAS 7000
huonaqua.com.au
Sustainably and efficiently produce product
– Selectively bred salmon undergoing gill checks –
Breeding Salmon for The Future The history of selectively breeding salmon in Tasmania goes back to 2002 when Huon first mass-selected salmon that showed a natural resistance to amoebic gill disease (AGD). These broodstock were carefully selected as clear fish for AGD from a pen that had been left unbathed for a period ensuring that there was a clear difference between infected and more resistant fish. Their progeny was put to sea the following year and required 1–2 fewer baths during their lifecycle.
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– “AGD is caused by single-celled amoeba, which are native to Tasmania, settling on salmon’s gills. If left untreated, water and oxygen flow can be restricted and may result in salmon dying from asphyxia. The treatment for amoeba is to bathe them in freshwater aboard our wellboat.” –
David Mitchell, Huon’s Freshwater Manager said that the early results were clear evidence that selective breeding for amoeba resistance had potential. “To get a second generation of brood stock, we again selected the best performing individuals which hadn’t been bathed ensuring that the AGD resistance trait was strong,” said David. “We continued with this basic mass selection until 2006 when a familybased breeding program was set up in collaboration with the other major industry players and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). Advice was canvassed from overseas and Dr Dick Alderson (who had set up the Marine Harvest breeding program in Scotland) was employed to produce the original guidelines, which included incorporating safeguards to
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Sustainably and efficiently produce product
prevent any risk of in-breeding occurring in the program. It has directly resulted in a high performing stock that is adapted to local farming conditions in Tasmania.” Today, the program is run through the SALTAS hatcheries at Wayatinah and Florentine, and has developed broodstock that perform well in key areas going on to produce the next generation of salmon. Primary desirable traits focus on better growth and increased amoeba resistance and also incorporating selection for later sexual maturation and improved flesh quality including flesh colour and lipid levels. “Since the founder populations were recruited in 2004, 2005 and 2006, there has been a steady increase in genetic gain where growth potential and amoeba resistance have improved by roughly two to three per cent a year as measured in two standard indicator pens, one at Huon and one at Tassal. These gains are as good as any other salmon breeding program worldwide.” “Initial results from the family-based program replicated those seen from the earlier mass selection in that amoeba resistance is a heritable trait and can be increased through the generations. This means that there are direct operational benefits each year.”
– “Selective breeding is something that all sectors of agriculture undertake whether it is breeding strains of drought-resistant wheat, to cattle that produce less methane—it is a very common practice.” – Approximately 200 families of salmon are in the program each year and each company has rights to a percentage of these based on their financial shareholding in the program. “These fish are individually tagged and reared in a cage at Hideaway Bay by Adrian Steenholdt and his team with fish performance measured in a changing “real world” environment including climate change. This means we breed from the fish that are best able to perform in these changing conditions. This family and individual performance information gained at sea then informs us which are the best individuals and families to breed from.
– A selectively bred Huon Salmon –
– “We select the top 10 performing families to produce the production broodstock. These are called the “Elites” and they are selected by ranking the families for a combination of their most desirable traits.” – The next step in the breeding program is a move towards genotyping each salmon, this technology allows us to select the best performing fish from within the top 10 families. “CSIRO have been developing SNP chip technology for use in livestock breeding programs and have transferred these principles to salmon. This allows each fish’s genes to be coded and the code compared to sequences that we know indicate the traits that we are selecting for.”
– “SNP chip technology allows genes to be mapped and analysed to determine an individual fish’s genetic strengths.” – The 2019 program has already used this technology to assess which males were the best to use. “We have been focusing this selection on the males first as each male can fertilise a lot of eggs (from 200–450,000) and pass on his traits to a lot of offspring. From next year, the program will also start using this technology on our females as well to further increase gains.”
“This gives us the potential to tailor specific traits for different stocks which will further enhance the quality of our stock year-on-year which is a very exciting prospect,” finished David.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
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Bridport Hatchery: Celebrating 55 Years of Success – Aerial views of the Bridport Hatchery –
Tasmania’s first commercial trout farm, located in Bridport, recently celebrated 55 years of operation. The Bridport farm was established by Alec H Purves in the 1960s. Alec got his start in trout farming overseas where he studied and worked for an American company. He bought this knowledge back to Tasmania and lobbied the government to allow trout farming.
– “In 1963, the Tasmanian Government passed legislation to allow commercial trout farming and Sevrup Fisheries was granted a license in 1964— in no small part due to Alec’s efforts.” – In 1991, the Bridport site was sold to Simon Pitney, Huon’s Project Manager, and two others. Simon worked very closely with Alec as his mentee, and this knowledge was the foundation of Huon’s trout farming operation. Duncan Joyce, Huon Aquaculture’s Bridport Hatchery Manger, undertakes operations at the site with its history in mind. “Sevrup Fisheries were pioneers of trout farming and achieved a great deal with the technologies available to them. We are proud of the site’s long history and my team and I carry this in mind when we go about our operations today.” While the site is in the same place as the original farm, significant upgrades have been made by Simon and Duncan’s teams. “We have essentially overhauled the site to bring it up to something that works in the way that we wanted it to.” These updates include replacing the original steel pipeline that came from a tin mine in Derby.
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THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Sustainably and efficiently produce product
– The original steel pipeline –
– “We have black and white photos of the pipe being laid so seeing it upgraded, while a necessity, did bring with it a tinge of sadness.” –
Duncan said while the site is small, it is really efficient and packs a punch. “We only do small numbers of stock, but because of the volumes and the upgrades, we are producing our biggest and best fish. Last year we smashed our previous trout weight record and had fish going to sea in March that weighed in at over 530grams!” The hatchery employs five people which includes employees who have been kept on after completing training at the site.
“We had given some University students casual positions so they could get work experience while studying and they have been kept on after graduation which is great for us and the town.” “It is a really good site for training and I’m very happy to have the opportunity to work with fantastic people on a site that is absolutely brimming with history,” finished Duncan. Alec received an Order of Australia Medal in 2010 for pioneering fish farming in Tasmania.
– Guest-of-honour Alison Purves toasting the recent 55th birthday celebration –
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
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– Huon Salmon in a RAS system –
A Pocket Guide to Huon’s Antibiotic Use At Huon, we believe that disease control in salmon requires a holistic approach. Good site management, fish husbandry and rigorous biosecurity measures are central to reducing the risk of disease outbreaks and controlling the spread of infectious diseases. While vaccines are important in preventing disease, they cannot control all losses. Medication such as antibiotics are also important but are only used as a last resort to avoid significant animal welfare issues and stock losses. This mind-set means that we are continually working to develop proactive diet regimes and vaccines to allow our salmon to combat known illnesses and lead healthy lives. Vaccination is now routine across all our stock. Our vets also ensure that any use of antibiotics is undertaken in full accordance with the guidelines and recommendations of Australian Veterinary Association and World Health Organisation.
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– “Huon employs two veterinarians whose responsibility it is to ensure that any antibiotic treatment is absolutely necessary. If our vets feel there is a need to treat with antibiotics then it is supervised, reported and strictly regulated by government.” – All antibiotic use is fully disclosed on our Sustainability Dashboard and Huon has not used any antibiotics at sea since 2016 when a single pen was treated. It should also be noted that Huon does not use any antibiotics in any of our recirculation (RAS) hatcheries, which is where most of our fish are now hatched and grown before they transfer to sea as smolt. Huon does however occasionally use small amounts of antibiotics at our flow-through hatchery sites which is voluntarily reported on our website.
– “Although antibiotic use is very low, it is important to note that the antibiotics when used, are allowed to pass through the fish long before it is harvested, in accordance with regulatory requirements.” – Huon also participates in an annual national residue survey to monitor levels of therapeutants, ensuring we comply with a maximum residue limit, which refers to the highest concentrations of a chemical residue that is legally permitted or accepted in a food, based on good agricultural and chemical use practices – www.agriculture. gov.au/ag-farm-food/food/nrs.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Sustainably and efficiently produce product
The Ronja Storm Arrives After making a two-month journey from Norway, the Ronja Storm our newest wellboat, has officially arrived in Tasmania where it has begun operations in Tasmania’s south east. A wellboat is a purpose-built vessel with large wells in which salmon are bathed and transported. Salmon are bathed in freshwater to remove single-celled amoeba which settle on their gills and if left untreated, can cause asphyxiation.
– “The trip to Tasmania began in mid-December and saw the Ronja Storm pass through the Panama Canal and traverse the South Pacific Ocean.” –
While the Ronja Storm will be able to work in more difficult conditions than the Ronja Huon, her large capacity and ability to produce freshwater on-board by reverse osmosis means it can do considerably more work when conditions are fine and easier for farm crews. This will also result in fewer vessel movements through the Channel.
– “At full operation, the reverse osmosis plant can produce 16.8ML of freshwater per day; or over 200,000 averagesized baths.” –
with the additional salt and mineral content from the treated seawater. This water produced by reverse osmosis is of a higher quality than water from a freshwater river, meaning a greater density of fish can be treated at any given time. All water used in the reverse osmosis process is filtered in a three-stage process down to a particle size of five microns.
– “The Ronja Huon will remain in service as a backup wellboat.” – Huon was the first company globally to use a wellboat for the purpose of bathing fish in freshwater.
Of each intake of seawater, 50 per cent is turned into freshwater for bathing and the other 50 per cent is cleaned (following filtration) and released back into the ocean
– The Ronja Storm arrives –
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
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Striving to be leaders within our industry
Pathway Program Students Tour – A Fortress Pen out of the water –
– The students inside Whale Point –
A group of the Huon Valley Trade Training Centre’s Pathway Students recently got out the classroom to explore possible career pathways in aquaculture and its supporting industries. The Pathway Program is made up of Huonville High School, St. James Catholic College and Dover District School students who have an interest in working in the aquaculture, agriculture and trade sectors.
– “The tour saw the group visit Huon Aquaculture’s Whale Point Salmon Nursery and Mitchell Plastic Welding’s pen building facility, roto-moulding factory and fabrication workshop.” –
trade, students heard from staff about the variety of roles in each workplace and the skills that potential employers look for, not just certificates, but life skills like attitude, reliability, communication, and team work,” said Alison. At Whale Point, the students were taken around the site by Kylie Short, Assistant Hatchery Manager, who explained how the recirculation and filtration systems work and how the fish are cared for. “Kylie also talked to the group about the different roles at the site including hatchery technicians, fish health officers, environmental managers, and maintenance staff. She showed the students the lab and the computer control room which opened their eyes to how high-tech the nursery is,” said Alison. The next stop on the tour was Mitchell Plastic Welding’s Whale Point facility where they were met by Operations Manager, Michael Rowe. Here the students were impressed to see an entire 240metre Fortress Pen out of the water.
Alison Stebbing, Huon’s Education Relations Adviser has worked with the Pathway Program for three years and accompanied the group.
“The students saw a refurbished cage on land and watched the slab staff preparing it to go on the slip back into the water. The students were able to see the different parts of the pens stored in the yard and how the components went together,” said Alison.
“The aim of the site visits was to expose the students to different employment options available in the Huon Valley. With a number of students interested in a career in aquaculture or undertaking a
Michael discussed with the students the different types of welding, and the research and development that had gone into the pens, including the continual upgrades and improvements.
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“Importantly, Michael also gave the students an idea of the types of roles with Mitchell Plastic Welding and the training required. Pen building is like giant adult Lego and I think that aspect appealed to some of the group, which is a fantastic result,” finished Alison. Ben Sculthorpe, Pathway Program’s organiser and mentor said the students now have a better idea of local employment opportunities.
– “A number of the students have expressed an interest in working for Huon or Mitchell’s, which is what I was hoping for,” said Ben. – The students also visited Mitchell Plastic Welding’s roto-moulding factory (which works with raw powdered plastic to mould Fortress Pen parts) and finished up the tour at their fabrication workshop. Huon Aquaculture and Mitchell Plastic Welding work closely with the Trade Training Centre and host student work placements which have resulted in employment for many of the students from the Vocational Training Courses.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Striving to be leaders within our industry
– The farmland looking towards Forest Home hatchery –
Forest Home Hatchery Farmland Organic Certification Organic certification is no small thing—it takes years of audits, changes to farming processes and a fundamental shift in thinking. This is why we were extremely proud to announce late last year that the Forest Home farmland achieved this coveted certification. Certification has been issued by the National Association for Sustainable Agriculture Australia (NASAA) who were formed in 1986 to support the education of industry and consumers on organic, biodynamic and sustainable agricultural practices. The audit process alone for Forest Home took two years which is a testament of the high standards expected by NASAA.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Organic certification was pursued in partnership with the team at Bruny Island Cheese who use the farmland to grow organic-standard fodder for their rare-breed cows. This is the same farmland which the wastewater from Forest Home is irrigated on which speaks to the quality of the water leaving our hatchery.
– “A key driver of seeking organic certification was to restore and repair the farmland which is arguably being achieved through a gentler approach to farming.” –
Back in 2017 when we first announced we were seeking certification, Nick Haddow, Bruny Island Cheese Co. Founder and Managing Director said, “great cheese starts with great milk and that can only be achieved with great agriculture.” And we couldn’t agree more. Bruny Island Cheese have also fully fenced the Riparian Zone. Learn more on the next page.
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Striving to be leaders within our industry
"A group of eight Scouts, three Scout Leaders and a couple of Huon Aquaculture family volunteers worked tirelessly across both days to plant a thousand low-growing trees and shrubs," said Adam.
– Huonville Scouts at Forest Home –
As well as inclement weather, unusually dry and hard soil conditions saw the scouts carrying countless buckets of water from the river to water the trees in.
Riparian Zone Restoration at Forest Home In addition to being certified as organic, the Forest Home farmland received some extra TLC with the Huonville Scouts planting 1,000 low-growing trees and shrubs across the property. Areas planted included the Riparian Zone, a wildlife corridor and an eroded gully. In return for their hard work, the Scouts received their Nature and Environmental badges, which takes 30-hours of work to achieve. The Club also received a donation from Huon. Freshwater Environment Manager, Adam Chapman, said dubious weather conditions ensured the Scouts well and truly earn their stripes.
– “The soil was incredibly hard, which is unusual for the Huon Valley, and each hole dug out for the trees was done so with much sweat and tears,” said Adam. – "These native plants will serve as future understory vegetation below the site's magnificent big gums, which already exist along the riverbank at Forest Home. It is hoped that these shrubs, like Acacias and Banksias, will not only attract nectar feeding native birds and insects to the river, but also stabilise the banks to reduce erosion during floods." This isn’t the first time that the Huonville Scouts have rolled up their sleeves at Forest Home. Back in 2013, they planted around 300 plants across the site including Blackwood and Paperbark trees.
– “The goal of the original tree planting was to form a screen for the then new hatchery, and to provide a habitat for native animals.” – Unfortunately, many of these original trees did not survive due to a combination of factors including dry weather, floods and grazing. To mitigate against the new trees being lost to grazing, the 1,800 metre Riparian Zone is now fully-fenced and the Scouts will audit their growth annually and further regenerate where needed.
– The Huonville Scouts planting trees at Forest Home Hatchery –
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The cost of fencing the Zone was covered by a grant that Bruny Island Cheese secured for land restoration and is a condition of meeting Organic Certification—which stipulates that a minimum of five per cent of land be set aside for conservation and restoration.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Provide best quality of service possible
– Winning family, Martina, Zac and their son Killian at Hideaway Bay –
Ultimate Huon Spring Experience Competition To celebrate the very best that the Huon Valley has to offer (in what is certainly the most scenic time of the year), in 2019 we held our Ultimate Huon Spring Experience competition, with the aim of increasing our digital marketing footprint and to support the local Huon community. Up for grabs was an all-expenses paid trip to Southern Tasmania to experience the very best sights, produce and a money-
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can’t-buy tour of our Hideaway Bay farm. To enter, people had to simply follow a few steps on our website and follow our social media pages. Over 3,000 people entered and the lucky winning family came all the way from Western Australia. The package included flights to Hobart, three night’s accommodation at the beautiful Hobart Hideaway Pods, a Charles Oat’s
Distillery Experience, a lunch and wine tasting at Home Hill Winery, a Hastings Caves tour, and a hamper of premium local produce. Follow Huon Salmon on social media to stay up-to-date on all our competitions and giveaways.
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Provide best quality of service possible
Salmon Superfood As one of fourteen known superfoods, salmon is a healthy choice for you and your family. High in Omega-3 fatty acids and low in saturated fats and calories, it provides a balance of beneficial nutrients and vitamins which are good for heart heath.
– “In fact, two servings a week of Huon Salmon may help reduce your risk of heart attack by up to one third.” – 14
In addition to cardiovascular benefits, a diet rich in Omega-3 has also been found to assist with easing joint or arthritis pain by decreasing inflammation, as well as stimulate healthy brain development and function. Follically challenged? Salmon is also loaded with Vitamin D and protein that can assist to keep your scalp healthy, promoting hair growth.
For heaps of healthy and easy-to-make recipe ideas, check out www.huonaqua. com.au/enjoy/recipes Please consult a healthcare professional before making changes to your diet and lifestyle.
Given the vast amount of research coming out confirming the health benefits of eating salmon, it's not surprising that many health professionals are encouraging us to eat more oily fish such as salmon. Aim for two servings per week, which may reduce your risk of heart attack by up to one-third.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Provide best quality of service possible
– Julie Gillies and Gee Tran, Ingleburn Production Manager –
Refocussing Processing After working in the salmon industry for 25 years, Huon’s new National Processing Manager, Julie Gillies, believes that having a respectful relationship with employees is key to successfully achieving a common goal. Julie has been with Huon for five years and was recently promoted into her new role. “I began at Huon as a Plant Manager at our old Botany Bay Factory. Before then I worked in the overseas salmon processing industry, so it made sense to follow this path in Australia,” said Julie. Julie’s role as National Processing Manager has her overseeing operations at Huon’s Ingleburn Factory in New South Wales and at Tasmania’s Parramatta Creek Processing Facility.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
– “My goal is to get both factories working together towards servicing our customers in the best and most efficient way that we can.” – “Huon has a reputation for high quality products and customer service and what happens in the factory is an important link in the chain—our success is the company’s success and this is what keeps people asking for Huon Salmon and Ocean Trout.” To improve on an already very high standard, Julie is spending much of her time at Parramatta Creek. “I’m proud of both processing facilities and their teams—everyone is working really hard towards our shared goal and they deserve credit for achieving so much in such a short time.”
– “A pillar to achieving this is having respect for each other regardless of an individual’s standing within the company.” – “I believe that being a team and having respect for each other is really important. Central to this is for me to have a relationship with my team and other teams I work closely with like, Sales and Marketing. Regardless of whether a site has 40 employees or 150, I think that a balance can be reached between being in charge whilst being accessible for people to candidly raise issues or concerns.” “Leadership for me is about the basics—if you can get that right then together we are stronger,” finished Julie.
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Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
– Matt St Jack working on an outboard at Hideaway Bay –
Matt St Jack: From Sweeping Floors to Automotive Marine Technology Apprentice of the Year Huon Aquaculture’s Matt St Jack has taken out the Kangan Institute’s coveted Automotive Marine Technology Apprentice of the Year, and Automotive Inspirational Student of the Year awards. Matt began at Huon three years ago as a Trades Assistant sweeping floors and seized the opportunity to upskill. “I started sweeping the floors in the workshop which gave me the foot in the door that I needed. One thing led to another and I spoke to Mandy, who works in HR, about some more work and she asked if I was interested in doing an outboard apprenticeship.”
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“It was too good of an opportunity to pass up so here I am today!” Matt completed his apprenticeship with Victoria’s Kangan Institute, during which it was clear that he had a talent for the course.
– “I’ve always been interested in being an outboard mechanic but if you had asked me 10 years ago if I was going to be one, I probably would have laughed.” – Matt credits his success to being older and having some life experience which gave him the motivation to excel.
“I guess being a bit older with a bit more life experience helps—as opposed to a lot of the kids straight out of school that go into it. Having a mortgage and a wife and kids also puts the pressure on to provide and do the right thing.” “In a nutshell, receiving these awards is a nice way to have my efforts recognised.” Matt’s advice to people interested in starting an apprenticeship is to not underestimate the importance of the gift of the gab.
– “My advice is that the teachers are really good, but they are swamped, so talk to as many people that you can to show them that you are interested and motivated.” – “Once you do this, you will pick up some absolute pearlers from the teachers which is the real reason to do an apprenticeship,” finished Jack.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
– THRIVE mentees cooking with Huon Salmon –
A Fresh Approach to Community Grants Are you part of a Tasmanian community group who has a great project but it needs a little bit of a kick-start to get off the ground? Then our Helping Hand Community Grants program might be a good fit. We believe that being part of the Tasmanian community brings with it a responsibility to support the groups and organisations that help to keep it safe, strong, vibrant and connected. This is precisely why back in 2013, our grants program was established and it is still going strong today. To coincide with our grant round this year, we are pleased to be releasing a new
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Policy and key themes which will shore up our ability to provide assistance to widereaching, sustainable, community capacitybuilding activities.
– “A textbook example of the projects that we will be supporting moving forward is the St Helens Neighbourhood House THRIVE Mentoring Program.” – Based at the St Helens Neighbourhood House, the Thrive Mentoring Program aims to increase engagement in schools to improve youth pathways to employment, as
well as the overall health and wellbeing of people living independently. The mentees involved in the cooking program learnt how to plan and prepare budget-friendly meals, equipping them valuable cooking skills and a catalogue of nutritious meals they can carry with them into adulthood. This is a great example of a project that has clear and long-standing benefits for the wider community. Applications will be accepted in April with the policy, key themes and application form available online via www.huonaqua.com. au/community-grants/
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Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
Engaging with our Community Flavours of Tasmania – Luke Cavanagh, Pene Snashall and Senator Eric Abetz at Parliament House –
Every year, Tasmania’s best food and wine producers make the trip to Canberra to share their wares with politicians, staffers and media, at an event held at Parliament House. Hosted by the Tasmanian Federal Liberal team, the event provides guests with an opportunity to taste why Tasmania has a reputation for world-class food and drink.
– Teams assemble at Meander –
– Adam, Nicole, Adam, Dani and Tony –
Mind Games It’s not every day you get to play with snakes or participate in a life-sized game of Operation and all for a good cause! Huon sponsored one of the event challenges as well as entered a team in the inaugural Mind Games, a fun Amazing Racestyle event which raises funds and awareness for mental health research. Huge thanks to Adam Norris, Nicole Huxtable, Adam Roberts, Tony Baker and Dani Hidaka, for being such good sports and willing to step outside their comfort (and fitness) zone! Our stage tested competitors to create the next big flavour for Huon Salmon using a series of mystery ingredients including jam, vegemite, and Nutella. Other stages included a silent disco, recreating Tasmanian landmarks out of bread and re-enacting Optus’ famous fish and chip advertisement. The event was a huge success with $70,000 raised for the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. Any takers for our 2020 Mind Games team?
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World Fly Fishing Championship After five days of fierce competition across Tasmania between 23 teams of world-class fishers, Australia placed 7th in the World Fly Fishing Championship. Huon was a major sponsor of the event, held for the first time in Tasmania which saw the State showcased as a global fly fishing destination with some of the best freshwater fishing spots include trout grown at Huon’s hatcheries!
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
– Volunteers with the sorted toys –
Christmas Toy Drive 2019 saw Huon’s inaugural participation in the City Mission Toy Drive. Toys were collected at the Hobart office and at Parramatta Creek and donated to City Mission for distribution through the program to disadvantaged and vulnerable people and families across Tasmania. City Mission reported 50 per cent increase in requests for assistance so we hope to expand the toy drive to more Huon sites to ensure that families who are doing it tough don’t miss out. In total, more than 7,000 toys were collected and distributed to 1,120 children.
– Huon’s Emily Dunn with Lizie Haswell from Brightside Animal Sanctuary –
Huon Dog Calendar Fundraiser A few years ago, Huon’s Lydia and Amy from People, Safety and Culture decided to make a custom calendar featuring photos of their beloved doggies to jazz up their workspace. Needless to say, the concept soon caught on, and the following year other members from the People, Safety and Culture team wanted to get involved. Fast forward a couple more years, the dog calendar has grown to be a company-wide project and has even extended to become a fundraiser. In 2020, we are proud to say that minus the cost to get the calendars printed, our little project raised $350 for our friends at Brightside Farm Sanctuary. Emily from the Corporate Communications team recently seized the opportunity to get out of the office and drove down to Brightside to deliver the cheque and a 2020 Huon dog calendar. A big thank you to all the Huon staff (and their fur babies) who were involved – we look forward to seeing more puppy pics for the 2021 edition!
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Thanks to everyone who made a donation and to Anita Wheeler from Sales & Marketing for driving Huon’s participation.
– The mouth of the King River –
West Coast Clean-Up Wet, windy and wild sums up the recent West Coast marine debris clean-up undertaken by the Strahan crew, Ed, Emma and Chali from Community Relations. The team had planned to head out into the Harbour but as the weather wasn’t playing nice (surprise, surprise!), they stayed closer to site. The area around the King River and Lowana was also targeted for clean-up and revealed a trove of debris including rope, domestic waste, an oil container, foam, safety fencing and legacy marine debris including several nets. In total, approximately 12kms of shoreline was covered and 0.8m3 of fish farm related waste and 2.5m3 (120kg) of domestic waste was removed.
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Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
Engaging with Education Providers As a major employer in rural Tasmania, we actively engage with education providers from primary schools through to University level to educated and, hopefully, attract the next generation of salmon farmers. Our engagement includes hosting internships and student work placements, facilitating site tours, working with the Beacon Foundation and UTAS Children’s University, collaborating with providers to shape curriculum, and providing guidance to VET and tertiary Aquaculture students about what hard and soft skills prospective employers find desirable. We encourage anyone interested in pursuing a student work placement or internship to apply via the Working at Huon section of our website. Due to the high level of demand for industry work placements, we limit the number of students to ensure a more valuable learning experience and the scheduling of work placements is dependent on operational requirements and the availability of supervising employees.
Working on Water Tasmania has a wide range of employment opportunities in and around the water, including roles in aquaculture, tourism, the seafood industry, and science. This is why in 2017 the Working on Water program was launched in Launceston as a way to introduce high school students in years 9 and 10 to career opportunities in these fields.
– “Today, the program runs in the state’s north and south during October and sees students tour research and aquaculture facilities, learn about seafood marketing, as well as hear from industry-leaders.” – Last year, 55 Tasmanian secondary school students were accepted into the program from schools across the state. Over the course of the three days, the students were exposed to real-world experiences which has helped to shape their future study and career goals. Students interested in the 2020 program can stay informed about enrolment dates and program requirements via the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council website or their social media. Students undertaking the program are managed and supervised by Independent Schools Tasmania and the Beacon Foundation, while the cost of the program is completely covered by the Tasmanian Seafood Industry.
Student Work Placements at Huon At Huon, we offer a wide range of student work placements and internships with the ultimate goal of providing meaningful employment outcomes. On any given day, we have people placed across all aspects of the business, giving them the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in aquaculture. These students are typically placed from higher education intuitions such as University of Tasmania or Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Ari Gilham, an IMAS student who is passionate about sustainability recently completed a placement at Hideaway Bay.
– “The Environment Department at Hideaway Bay has been my favourite part to be involved in,” said Ari. –
– Students at Forest Home with Hatchery Manager, Nathan Rowe. Image thanks to Grace Isdale/TSIC –
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“The scale of the work that goes into environmental management astounded me. I did not realise the scale, consistency requirements, communicative transparency from the industry and the long term care taken in order to minimise the environmental impacts.” “Most interesting for me was the complexity of feed trial processes. From hatchery to harvest, the specifics are integral to the success or failure of a trial, and the amount of steps and processes along the way to track progress I found unusual.”
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
– “GrIPP aims to help raise student and parent awareness of the skills shortages and career opportunities within Tasmania in five industries–Building and Construction, Tourism and Hospitality, Advanced Manufacturing, Aged and Community Services, along with Food and Food Production.” – – Ari performing a flesh check –
– “Placement students have the opportunity to work across a variety of areas of the business including freshwater, marine and feed trials.” – “The value this placement has had for me regarding my studies is astounding, especially the environmental aspects of it. The diagnostics of stock loss, microbial identification, ROV videos for benthic health assessments, stock numbers and size ratios during harvesting of varying feeds, and the mysteries surrounding jellyfish identification have all been hugely valuable in the application of skills from my studies.”
On their visit the students participated in an employability skills workshop, site tour and talks with a panel of industry experts including Huon’s mechatronics engineer Tim Jackson, our Assistant Manager of Farm Operations, Leigh Savage, Alasdair Bradley from feed company BioMar, Michael Rowe from Mitchell’s Plastic Welding and Robin Barnes, University College Applied Science Lecturer.
– Matt Yost, Hands on Learning facilitator, and Huonville students –
“Being able to see how the industry works at all stages is vital for me in understanding how current science is being applied in the industry,” finished Ari.
Beacon Foundation Farm Visit A common misconception is that salmon farming is a brawns industry, when in fact it is a brawns and brains industry—this is something that Huonville High students learnt on a recent farm visit facilitated by the Beacon Foundation’s Growth Industry Preparation Programme (GrIPP).
Hands on Learning In an effort to reduce our environmental impact, we are recycling and donating as much old and disused farm equipment as possible. We are thrilled to report that some disused air pipe found a new home at Huonville Primary in their Hands on Learning garden where it has been put to good use in a watering system.
– “Huon gave the school a grant in 2018 which was used to establish the garden as a channel through which to reach disengaged students.” – – Students on a Harvest Pod –
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
The program has been so successful that it is now running four days a week and is used by the Save the Children Foundation as an example of how struggling students can turn things around and be reached through out-of-class learning. In addition to supporting Hands on Learning, several Huon employees are volunteering their time to mentor female students at the school.
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Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation
Huon’s Innovation Program We have a long history of innovation at Huon which is why in late 2019 we rolled out our Innovation Program. In the three months after launch, 14 ideas have submitted from across the business with two currently being developed for implementation. The program provides an opportunity to do things differently which will ultimately encourage positive employee and company growth. The program is all about providing an opportunity to fix the challenges employees encounter, as well as creating the path forward for individuals, their teams and the company.
– “Ideas submitted to the program go through an assessment process where they are all considered equally on their merit against a matrix of Huon’s values. These values include People, Safety, Integrity, Creativity and Quality.” – 22
Ideas also go through a financial assessment process to evaluate the real-world cost to the business of implementation. Undertaking these assessments is Huon’s Innovation Team who assess all ideas, gather information and present the idea to the Management group. Comprising of 10 people from across Huon, the team was carefully selected to ensure all major business units were represented, guaranteeing there is no bias in the assessment process.
– “Importantly, employees submitting ideas can choose to remain anonymous. Of the ideas submitted to date, 65 per cent of people chose not to receive recognition.” – The program has backing of the Board who are pleased with how the program has been taken up so positively. The program will be rolled out to northern hatcheries and Hideaway Bay shore staff in the coming months.
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
Fish Tales
What our Customers are saying about our Online Store
“ Excellent service received, both with the choice of Huon products and the delivery service by Toll right to my door. As usual it was pre-packed in ice, and so fresh. Could not be faulted. The service provided is second to none!” – Jenny “ We purchase Huon Salmon regularly and have referred many friends to do the same. You won’t get fresher anywhere. Delivery is easy and always on time, and the produce is packaged perfectly and icy cold on arrival.” – Jason
“ Beautiful fresh produce delivered to the door exactly as promised, prices competitive with the supermarkets, even with delivery. Really what more is needed?” – Anthony “ Swift excellent service, arrived on time and in tip top condition! ”– Coralie “ Thank you so much for your efforts its best tasting smoked salmon I ever had in my 62 years.” – Victor Find us at shop.huonaqua.com.au
“ Love being able to order online will look forward to being able to set up automatic ordering for a regular monthly order.” – Nadine
THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Edition Four
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Around the Farm
Storm Bay by Aden Mo
The mouth of the King River in Macquarie Harbour
A pot of gold taken by Luke Taylor at Zuidpool South
The Huon River
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Gee Tran, Ingleburn Production Manager, and Peter Bender in NSW
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