The Huon Story - Edition 1 by Huon Aquaculture

HUON THE

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January/March Summer Edition – 2019

STORY

JASMINE KNOWLES

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY FEATURE – New Factory at Ingleburn – First fish growing at Whale Point – New kid’s section

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

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– ‘The achievements of Huon employees are many and varied and it’s important that as many people as possible can read about the clever people doing clever things across our company.’

Introduction Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, said that “change is the only constant in life”, highlighting the need to be ready for change in every aspect of our lives. Here at Huon, change is happening all around us and we are thriving! You are reading one of the changes; Inside Huon has become The Huon Story and the new Corporate Communications team is broadening readership of this publication to more external stakeholders. The achievements of Huon employees are many and varied and it’s important that as many people as possible can read about the clever people doing clever things across our company. The new layout also highlights the company’s strategic goals with a strong focus on people; because it is Huon’s employees who generate and lead the ongoing success of the company. These clever people all rose to the challenge during the recent bushfires in both the Huon Valley and Central Highlands regions. Operationally, there was minimal interruption to activities. Yes, there were speed-humps but in typical “Huon” style everyone continued to work tirelessly, in trying circumstances to ensure staff safety and continuity of supply. There was no loss of assets or damage to infrastructure, and that was largely due to the efforts of staff and personnel from emergency services.

Throughout the challenges of the bushfires these clever people continued to make sure our fish were fed (you can read about the wizardry of the Control Room crew further on), our farm sites continued to be monitored and protected, safety of staff remained a top priority and the harvest arrived at market (salute to the new Paddle Grippers at Parramatta Creek!). As in previous years, the company is continuing a strong focus on education and training for employees; at the time of publication the inaugural Huon Leaders Program celebrates the achievements of the first ‘graduates’ and Huon continues its support to employees involved in the 26TEN literacy and numeracy program. There are currently 96 employees undertaking Certificate III vocational qualifications, across aquaculture, business, engineering, marine mechanics and a further two undertaking an Associate Degree in Aquaculture. A task for the Comms team this year is to elevate the profile of the clever tradespeople employed at Huon. Mechanics, skippers, plumbers and electricians will always been needed (and in the event of a sanitary infrastructure failure, a marine engineer has questionable use!).

Our family of clever people also extends to the contractors and small businesses who provide vital services to every component of the company. You can read about some of these important relationships inside The Huon Story. Co-Founder, Frances Bender recently spoke at a Business Council of Australia forum about the importance the company places on supporting small local regional businesses which in turn will see entire communities thrive for future generations. Happy reading, The Editor — PS; it may also have been Dilbert who spoke about change but Greek philosophy sounds more highbrow than satirical office humour! The Huon Story is proudly written, designed and printed in Tasmania.

At the end of 2018, the company supported a range of education awards for students and this investment will be expanded this year to more local schools. There is no better way to ensure the next generation of clever people look to Huon to commence their career pathway.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

THE HUON STORY

summer Edition

International Women’s Day feature – Jasmine Knowles

What is a Baseline Survey?

Hogan launched

Provide best quality of service as possible West Coast update

Wooden Boat Festival

Rob’s export update: New Zealand’s Seafood Turducken

Sustainably and efficiently produce product

First salmon in Whale Point salmon nursery

Smart fish feed

New Sydney Factory

Premium Product For Pooches

Sadie launched

Bruny Island Community Meeting

Handfish Conservation Project

A word from our people, Safety and Culture Team

Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation

New hires

Striving to be leaders in our industry

Kingfish trial moves to next stage

Parramatta Creek update

Southern fires

Huon gives a helping hand

Fish tales

What our customers are saying 30

COVER IMAGE:

CONTACT:

Photography by Samuel Shelly

E: communications@huonaqua.com.au P: 03 6295 8111 Level 13/188 Collins St Hobart TAS 7000

huonaqua.com.au

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

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International Women’s Day Feature:

Jasmine Knowles

– ‘Although being a fish vet isn’t your typical dream job, I now can’t think of anything better!’

Here at Huon we have incredible staff with even more incredible backstories. This International Women’s Day we wanted to introduce you to Jasmine Knowles, our Fish Health Manager.

Having grown up in New Zealand with a veterinarian father, Jasmine spent a lot of time around salmon farms across the South Island when she was growing up. Despite initial plans to become a ‘human doctor’, Jasmine was accepted into a highly competitive veterinary program at Massey University and the rest, as they say, is history! We sat down with Jasmine to learn more about her story and here’s what she had to say. “I think I was on the path to becoming a vet before I even realised it. Growing up, I was that kid who found a dead rabbit on the farm and played with it all day. I’d use paper towels to make bandages and slings for my soft toys and mix up anything I could find to fix the many ailments of my herd of plastic dinosaurs,” said Jasmine. “My dad is also a vet, so I was exposed to the excitement from a very young age. Growing up, I spent a lot of time out on salmon farms across the South Island of New Zealand dissecting fish and taking samples—and I loved it. “I grew up in a country town where I went to the local primary school. I had fantastic teachers that pushed me and gave me a great foundation for further study. My parents were the real springboard for my success when they reluctantly allowed me to leave home at 13 to go to boarding school in Dunedin, where I put in a lot of hard work and grew independent. “Despite all of this, I didn’t think of becoming a vet until very late in high school. I was set on being a medical doctor but after an incredibly boring presentation from a university careers advisor (that put me off med school for life!), I realised that vet school was where I wanted to go. In hindsight, that was the critical turning point for me and I am now incredibly thankful to that careers advisor. I would much rather be looking at fish than sick people. “That set me up to launch straight into Massey University for a chance at one of the 70 spots for the 2011 intake year. After getting in, university took me through five more years of challenges—and there was only one class about fish! “Regardless, throughout vet school I continued to be involved with the New Zealand salmon industry and could see that aquaculture 4

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

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was a relatively unexplored industry for vets. The attraction for me is that you are at the frontline working out things for yourself—not to mention that salmon just happen to grow in the most beautiful environments in the world. “After final exams I stumbled across Huon’s advert for a veterinarian and took the chance and moved countries. Although being a fish vet isn’t your typical dream job, I now can’t think of anything better! Jasmine has been working at Huon for just over three years, beginning as Assistant Veterinarian and now working as our Fish Health Manager. Jasmine finds the appeal of following a fish throughout their lifecycle from egg to harvest an incredibly rewarding and unique opportunity.

– ‘I love being part of the Huon family. Everyone I work with is knowledgeable and dedicated’ “The role takes me throughout the state—in any given day I could be out on the water off of Bruny Island, at one of our world-class recirculation hatcheries or examining our farming equipment for biosecurity risks. I have had some amazing opportunities including travelling to Norway, Scotland and Ireland to learn about health challenges

facing salmon farming in the Northern Hemisphere. There is no such thing as a typical day—they are always full of variety and challenge and I love it! “One of my biggest career highlights to date is when I spent a week in Scotland last year learning first-hand about health issues in Atlantic Salmon in the Northern Hemisphere. This was an experience I will never forget, and I came back with a much deeper understanding of the aquaculture industry and images of diseases I wish to never see again!

– ‘In any given day I could be out on the water off of Bruny Island, at one of our world-class recirculation hatcheries or examining our farming equipment for biosecurity risks.’

“I see one of the challenges in the future being balancing our vision for industry expansion while ensuring our excellent fish health continues. There is so much misinformation out in the public regarding our practices and I can’t wait to continue on with the work that we do while continuing to educate the public about our new initiatives. Another of the challenges is being flexible enough to work with how quickly decisions need to be made—it is a constant race to keep up to date with the health situation of all of our different populations of fish across our sites. For Jasmine, one of the best things about working here at Huon is the people. “I love being part of the Huon family. Everyone I work with is knowledgeable and dedicated—this has made my move to Tassie really very easy,” concluded Jasmine.

– Jasmine taking gill samples –

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

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– Coby, one of our Control Room Operators at work –

Smart fish feed Feeding over 8.5 million fish is all in a day’s work for our eight fish feeders. Our fish feeders, better known as Control Room Operators, work alongside our onwater feed team and with the guidance of Graham Clarke, Huon’s Control Room Manager, feed every pen of fish that Huon farms from our Hobart Control Room. A few years ago this would have sounded like no small feat, but today it is all in a day’s work. They are able to do this as each pen of fish has cameras mounted in it which send real-time footage and data back to Hobart. This, combined with a pellet-detection system and remotly controlled on-water feed delivery system, translates to a very effective feeding system. “A lot of benefits have come from the system with the biggest being that it has allowed the feed team to be fully focused on the feeding, which has brought with it feed consistency across the farms and subsequently, better growth outcomes,” said Graham. What makes our control room so successful is that the algorithm behind the pellet detection system can detect as few as two uneaten pellets in the water column. The system is then capable of automatically slowing or switching off the flow of feed, reducing wastage and any potential impact on the seafloor. 6

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“We put great care into feeding our fish to appetite whist also reducing the impact of uneaten feed. The Control Room is what has made this all possible,” said Graham.

‘Our visitors have all been blown away!’

Not only are they fish feeders, but Graham and his team are also tour guides and they often host international salmon farming visitors who want to see the feed system in action.

underwater video cameras that required the human identification of uneaten feed pellets to manually step down and complete a feeding cycle.

“Our visitors have all been blown away! Before they see it in person they don’t fully appreciate the technology behind the system and they walk away thinking that it is incredible,” said Graham. Whilst the remote feeding system has been up and running for over two years, inspiration for the development was initially sparked by a presentation from Tom Pinkiewicz about his PhD research involving the application of machine learning technology to identify fish behaviours from video footage. “It all started out by a rather casual comment by David Whyte, then Group Technical Manager, who saw my presentation and asked if I could do something similar with feed pellets,” said Tom. Little did Tom know that this discussion would lead him, Huon’s Information Technology Manager Justin Thurley, David Whyte, Automation Engineer Andrew Palfreyman, then Feed Manger Duncan Fell, and many others, on a journey that would span several years developing the remote feeding system. The team first set about researching what remote feeding systems were in use overseas, and how these could be improved upon. It quickly become apparent that most existing systems used remote

“The software, computing and communications infrastructure behind our feeding system was developed through extensive research and experimental development, with the system ultimately evolving into a highly innovative application of artificial intelligence and machine learning for automation in aquaculture,” said Justin. “The system improves from season to season and will probably result in the best fish that we have ever grown. This is all thanks not only to the new technology, but also to the hard work of the entire feed team and cultural buy-in to the technology,” concluded Graham. The systems development and implementation was only possible through collaboration, not just within Huon, but with businesses such as Cromarty and TasmaNet who were instrumental in getting the system off the ground and developing it to a point where feeding over one million fish is literally in a day’s work. — We would also like to thank the many people involved in this project who were not mentioned in this story including Andrew Morris, Will Van Den Broek and Harry Fiotakis , and Peter Bender for his initiative and leadership.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

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Premium products for pooches!

– ‘We try to mimic an animal’s wild diet so by eating raw, they are getting food that is easily digestible and has a nice amino acid profile— healthy food translates to a healthy pet!’ Big Dog use Huon Salmon frames and heads, which are by-products from our Parramatta Creek processing facility, plus whole fish and fillets. By supplying these by-products to pet food companies, we are reducing our wastage and improving the sustainability of our operations. “We have a nose to tail philosophy. By crushing the salmon, we get a nice source of protein, calcium, Omega-3 and phosphorus. By balancing these ratios, we can ensure that puppies are getting the right nutrients to grow within their limits so they aren’t getting calcium build-ups in their muscles. Chris has a background in food science and formulates all of Big Dog’s products.

– HARVEY our official taste tester –

Packed full of protein, omega-3, calcium and phosphorus, salmon is an increasingly popular pet food. Just ask Big Dog, who recently launched two new product lines containing Huon Salmon including their very popular freeze dried Tasmanian Salmon Little Bites (pictured above), and RAW range. Big Dog are a family-owned Australian company who have been making raw,

healthy, nutritious pet food for over 18 years based on evolutionary diet principles to enhance the health and happiness of pets. Chris Essex, Big Dog owner said, “We were chasing an Australian-grown fatty fish to include in our range and salmon fit this brief perfectly. We reached out to Josh Dodd, Huon’s Queensland Sales Representative, to see what was available and it all began there.” All Big Dog Pet Food ingredients are Australian grown and are human-grade to ensure the highest quality diet.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

“We try to mimic an animal’s wild diet so by eating raw, they are getting food that is easily digestible and has a nice amino acid profile—healthy food translates to a healthy pet!” Chris visited Tasmania last year and saw the entire farming operation firsthand. “It was a fantastic and mind boggling to look at the entire operation. To see the business that we are working with punching out a really nice product for consumers felt like a really natural fit for us to work with. Based on conversations with Huon around what other by-products can be utilised in pet food, Big Dog are developing some new products. “We are working on some new product lines which will all be extremely healthy which falls in line with our business values. Based on reviews from our official taste testers, including our very own Harvey, the new products will be a hit!

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– ‘Baden Carver, one of our Skippers, named the vessel Sadie, after John Farnham’s song Sadie the Cleaning Lady.’

Sadie launched The first of two net cleaning boats built by Crisp Bros. & Haywards was launched at Margate. Baden Carver, one of our Skippers, named the vessel Sadie, after John Farnham’s song Sadie the Cleaning Lady. James Bender, Business Development Manager said, “Once again Crisp Bros. & Haywards have exceeded our expectations with the quality of workmanship of our new net cleaning vessels.

“In Storm Bay we find that biofouling such as seaweed and mussels builds up faster than our other farming sites. Having two net cleaners running simultaneously will allow us to be much more efficient and help us keep on top of keeping our nets clean. “The two operators will sit in the cabin where they have a series of screens which display video from the net cleaners. This is a much more comfortable setup for them than our existing vessels.

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Huon worked with Crisp Bros. & Haywards, and renowned Western Australian Naval Architect IMC to custom design a vessel to meet both Huon’s operational conditions, and specific vessel requirements including that it must be capable of running two net cleaners simultaneously.

‘Once again Crisp Bros. & Haywards have exceeded our expectations with the quality of workmanship of our new net cleaning vessels.’

“As the vessels will be operating primarily in Storm Bay, they were designed to work in rough conditions. We have yet to put them to the test, but I have every confidence that they will do the job that they were made for.

If the nets aren’t cleaned regularly, excessive biofouling can lead to extra weight being placed on the pen and limit the oxygen flow-though.

Sadie is 15 metres long and will be crewed by three Huon employees—two net cleaner operators and a skipper.

Sadie will operate for up to 12 hours a day and has adequate diesel storage to allow for three days of operation between refuelling.

“While net cleaning is the primary function of the vessel, it has been designed to be flexible so that it can also operate as a general works boat. Using wave data from Storm Bay, the custom-designed catamaran hull shape will minimise the occurrence of nose diving and tunnel slamming (when waves break the bow) in heavy seas. “As it is a catamaran, we have more storage within the hull so we have been able to install the high-pressure pump for the net cleaning equipment below deck allowing for a completely free deck space for carrying out other operations,” concluded James. The sister ship to Sadie, Vortex, will be completed and launched in March.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

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– ‘Huon is a proud supporter of the Handfish Conservation Project; a collaborative research effort led by the National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT) to save three endangered handfish species in south eastern Tasmania, ie. Red, Spotted and Ziebell’s.’

Handfish

Conservation Project Our staff regularly monitor the seabed at all our marine leases to ensure farming operations are undertaken in a way that maintains good environmental conditions. Recently during one these surveys, a Spotted Handfish was found; this now means that Spotted Handfish are known to be living at three of Huon’s current (and some of our oldest) farming leases. Huon has reported all these discoveries to the National Handfish Recovery Team and the Tasmanian EPA. However, the exact locations will not be made public as this could put these populations at risk of poaching. Huon is a proud supporter of the Handfish Conservation Project; a collaborative research effort led by the National Handfish Recovery Team (NHRT) to save three endangered handfish species in south eastern Tasmania, ie. Red, Spotted and Ziebell’s. In December last year, a fundraising campaign was launched to assist the NHRT with this work. Our chief veterinarian, Dr. Steve Percival and his wife, Robyn worked tirelessly with many other stakeholders including business, ENGO’s, government agencies and politicians, on developing and implementing this campaign. Huon would also like to thank Biomar (our major salmon feed supplier) for their generous support to this cause. It is hoped that over time an ongoing campaign will raise the funds and resources needed to save these iconic and charismatic little creatures. — If you would like to find out more about handfish species and the work of the National Handfish Recovery Team, please go to their dedicated website www.handfish.org.au and please consider donating to this important conservation cause. THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Striving to be leaders in our industry

– Smoke over Hobart –

– Smoke near Forest Home Hatchery –

Southern Fires It has been a tense time in the Huon Valley over the past couple of months with the Riveaux Road fire having burnt over 200,000 hectares*.

doing double shifts to help out their co-workers who were at their homes ready to defend.

The fire was originally started by dry lightning and soon threatened the communities where over a third of our employees live and work.

– Rob Elliott, one of our Community Relations Advisors and a Ranelagh local, had his boots on the ground at the Huonville Evacuation centre. He volunteered tirelessly with a variety of tasks (including the odd toilet clean).

In times of challenge, it is very heartening to see the strong spirit of our communities’ shine through. We saw neighbours helping each other, volunteers putting in countless hours on the fire front and in the evacuation centre, and company resources being made available to help where help was needed. First and foremost, we would like to thank the emergency services for doing an outstanding effort in managing the situation and keeping everyone informed in challenging conditions. This includes both career and volunteer firefighters, Police and the SES to whom the community, Huon included, owes a debt of gratitude.

In particular, we would like to thank the following people for their hard work during the last few weeks:

– Shea Cameron, our Assistant Sub-Sea Manager, did a terrific job talking to ABC TV highlighting our efforts to get staff safely to and from work.

– Jessica Wilson, one of our Senior Business Analysts made a diversion back to her home in the Huon Valley to deliver a donation to the evacuation centre. – Khadija Daicos from our Customer Service team for arranging a last-minute product donation for the firefighters on the Central Plateau and for her efforts in convincing Toll to do a special delivery to the area. We are not out of the woods yet but we have learnt some valuable lessons which will help us be even more prepared for the next fire season. *at the time of writing.

Image by Olivia Hazell

Thanks also go to Water Solutions Tas and Adrian Jackson Plumbing for stepping up and fitting out Forest Home with roof sprinklers in a day, and to Spectran Group for going the extra mile to load trucks onto vessels at Kettering for harvesting. We would also like to extend a sincere thank you to those of our employees who spent many sleepless nights going above and beyond to protect our communities and workplaces. We had many employees

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Striving to be leaders in our industry

What is a Baseline Survey? – Bill Joyes, Tech Officer Environment and Adam Smark, Marine Environment Manager –

Before we begin farming in a new area, we conduct a baseline survey to get a better understanding of the seafloor composition and local flora and fauna. This typically involves a comprehensive survey of many sites, not just inside the proposed lease area, but also in the areas surrounding the lease and a few further afield. These are undertaken using various specialised equipment, such as a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) with video recording capabilities, sediment corers and grabbers (to retrieve sediment samples), and some additional specialised dives/transects conducted by divers to identify larger fish and seaweed species in the area. Right now, Marine Environment Manager Adam Smark and his team are undertaking the baseline survey for our newest proposed farming site at East of Yellow Bluff (EOYB), off Bruny Island. “Baseline surveys are important as they give us an opportunity to get a better understanding of local flora and fauna, and

the chemistry of the sediments, including metal composition, which are specific to each farming area.

Zealand pie crab. They will also conduct and survey for Handfish, although the site isn’t considered as their typical habitat.

“They allows us a pre-stocking snapshot of the seafloor, which is initially important in confirming that the area is suitable for farming, but it also can inform us of any subtle changes that may occur during stocking periods and if, or how, they may relate to our farming.” said Adam.

“The seafloor at Storm Bay is typically coarse, rippled sand with little in the way of seaweed about. We are conducting a thorough survey of the seagrass beds which are several kilometres away as they are an important habitat for many species.

Each ROV dive can take up to 20 minutes and the footage is GPS and time/date stamped for accuracy. “We dive sites which have been identified by the EPA based on the proposed lease size and positioning. These are in and around the proposed farm site and includes control sites which can be several kilometres from the area. This Baseline survey for EOYB has over 100 survey sites, all requiring video surveys and analysis of sediment for micro-fauna, chemistry and metal composition.” At the EOYB site, Adam and his team are looking for fauna such as screw shells (including the native Gazameda and the introduced New Zealand screw shell) and some introduced marine pests such as the Pacific (Japanese) sea star and New

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

The ROV footage and dive survey results are then compiled into an interim report which is presented to the EPA Director. This interim report is designed to identify any potential concerns which may need further investigation early on during the overall survey. “Providing that the report is endorsed, and we have been issued a licence for the lease, the Marine Operations team can proceed with mooring grid works. While they are doing this, we will continue to work on the final report for the EPA. “The final report does take some time to compile as it is very detailed and includes all dive results and sediment analysis,” concluded Adam. If the EPA sign off on the final report, Huon can then proceed stocking the new lease with fish. 11

Striving to be leaders in our industry

Hogan

Launched

Image by Stu Gibson

Huon’s newest feed barge, Hogan, was christened and launched at Crisp Bros. & Haywards in midDecember 2018. Hogan is officially the Southern Hemisphere’s largest and most technologically-advanced feed barge designed for Huon’s farms in Storm Bay – the most exposed fish farm in the world. Frances was on hand to christen the barge at the launch and said, “I believe that our new barge will make the international industry sit up and take even more notice of the ground-breaking work being done in our state. “Everyone knows that Storm Bay can be rough but I believe that offshore is where Huon’s future expansion lies and technological innovations such as the Hogan will help us safely achieve our long-term vision.

“Some people can be intimidated by the idea of autonomous technology so I’d like to reassure them that this vessel isn’t coming at the expense of people’s jobs, rather it will safeguard them.

“It is essentially designed as a battleship– 260t of steel in the hull structure, 50t of steel in foundation and pipework and 70t of machinery and equipment and that’s just the empty boat!

“I am immensely proud that this groundbreaking vessel was not only constructed here in Tasmania, but that every employee of Crisp Bros. & Haywards is a local.

“We are so proud to be a part of designing and building something like the Hogan which has officially become the toughest barge in the world,” concluded Matt Wiggins.

– ‘“We believe that wherever possible, jobs and economic benefits should flow back into our local rural communities so that they too can enjoy the benefits of our very successful industry, concluded Frances.’ Matt Wiggins, General Manager of Crisp Bros. & Haywards was also in attendance, adding, “A big thank you to Huon Aquaculture for providing us the opportunity to build this unique barge. “The road to get to today wasn’t necessarily easy–we had to design the vessel from a concept shape but redesign from scratch to stand up to the challenging Storm Bay conditions.

QUICK FACTS: – T he Hogan is the culmination of a $10.5 million investment into new aquaculture innovation and technology worldwide. – T he Hogan is the first of two 600t feed barges that will serve Storm Bay into the future. – Approximately 100 employees and contractors used the equivalent of 30 man-years to build the Hogan to completion. – Over 82,000 hours of work went into the welding, fabrication, painting, fit outs, electrical and electrical design –O ver time the barge will hold 600t of fish feed, 24,000L of diesel fuel, 4,000 litres of fresh water and will give a fully loaded displacement of over 1000t.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Striving to be leaders in our industry

First Salmon in Whale Point Salmon Nursery In late January, 300,000 juvenile salmon were successfully transferred into Australia’s first, onshore salmon nursery at Whale Point, Port Huon. The nursery uses world-leading water recirculation technology that purifies up to 98 per cent of the freshwater in which the fish are grown. This enables 98 per cent to be reused and repeatedly treated over and over again with 2 per cent going to waste treatment. The small amount of water leaving the nursery has the solids removed for inclusion into compost, the water has the nutrients removed, and is sterilised and used on-board the Ronja Huon, Huon’s wellboat, to bathe salmon. David Mitchell, Huon Aquaculture General Manager Freshwater Operations said, “It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to implement the next level of recirculation technology within the nursery, and in terms of waste capture and reuse, take it beyond other existing commercial-scale operations around the world. Not only will it set a new standard for salmon nurseries but it will provide us with the practical experience on which we can build to improve the process even further into the future.” Not only does the recirculation technology allow us to provide the best growing conditions for the fish, but it also reduces our new water usage to a minimum, allows for zero discharge to the local environment and reuse of any waste generated through the process. In the nursery, the salmon will be grown larger on land in a controlled environment providing optimal conditions before being transferred to sea, where they grow to harvest size (around 5kg). “By partially growing the salmon larger on land we improve the efficiency of our overall production cycle by reducing the time that our salmon spend at sea from 14 months, to less than 12. This allows us to better manage our existing leases at sea, enabling longer fallow periods between stocking, all of which benefits sustainability and biosecurity. Globally, growing salmon all the way to harvest on land is still in its infancy and to date it hasn’t been proven to be a commercial success anywhere in the

Images by Patrick Tigges world however, the technology is rapidly developing and Whale Point allows Huon to gain operational experience in growing fish larger on land whilst monitoring the progress being made in this area internationally. “To put on land farming in context, Huon would require the equivalent of 43 Whale Points to match its current production in sea cages. The hypothetical capital expenditure alone for such a build would be over $1.8 billion—this figure doesn’t include allowances for the land area, water and electricity needed for such an operation. Over 200 jobs were created during the construction process, with 8 full-time jobs now filled directly at the nursery. The increased production is also likely to create opportunities for 22 downstream and support service positions “We wouldn’t be putting fish into Whale Point without the hard work of everyone who worked on the project especially

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

– ‘Over 200 jobs were created during the construction process, with 8 full-time jobs now filled directly at the nursery.’ our fantastic principal local contractors, Fairbrothers, Billund Aquaculture Australia, BC Electrical, Gandy and Roberts their sub-contractors and everyone who travelled to Australia to work on the project. “We would also like to thank our near neighbours and the Port Huon community for their patience and support during the construction process. As a thank you, our Port Huon neighbours will be invited to tour the nursery after it officially opens later this year,” concluded David Mitchell. The first fish grown in the nursery will be transferred to sea in mid-2019. 13

Striving to be leaders in our industry

New Sydney Factory To support Huon’s renewed focus on selling directly to our customers and to facilitate retail growth in NSW, we are constructing a purposebuilt processing factory in Ingleburn, Sydney.

To keep the community informed of our operations, and to provide a forum to ask questions, we conduct community meetings in the areas where we operate. One such area is Bruny Island.

Bruny Island

Community Meeting

Our Communications and Community team, along with operational employees, visited the island in early December to meet with our near neighbours and interested community members. In all, 16 people came along to hear about our operations and our progress with our East of Yellow Bluff proposed lease. While the crowd was small, it was a very productive meeting which enabled us to hear and respond to concerns, correct some misinformation and meet new locals. We would like to thank everyone who came to the meeting for giving us their time.

Our new factory will act as a hub for all NSW orders and the design incorporates learnings from our existing processing factories, such as having designated entrances for each area to safeguard food safety.

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‘Our new factory will be the hub of everything we do in NSW. We have a lot of big contracts with retailers as well as our smaller customers, and this new factory will allow us to not only meet their expectations but exceed them.’ The factory also has a dry goods store, a chilled incoming and outgoing dispatch area, and staff amenities such as office area, boardroom and lunchroom. Simon Fraser, Huon’s Processing Manager said that it is an exciting project to work on that will enable Huon to continue to deliver high quality in a state-of-the-art facility “Our new factory will be the hub of everything we do in NSW. We have a lot of big contracts with retailers as well as our smaller customers, and this new factory will allow us to not only meet their expectations but exceed them. “It is an exciting time as we near the end of the build and fitout. Fairly soon we will be handed the keys and then the fun begins of putting fish through the factory,” concluded Simon. The Ingleburn factory will be officially opened after Easter. 14

A word from our People, Safety and Culture Team ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT – TEAM INTERVIEWS In 2018, Natalie and the team interviewed nearly 500 Huon team members one-on-one to help us understand their experiences working at Huon and their requests for future development. Natalie is currently reviewing all of the information collected. Once this is complete, the information will be shared with Managers which will include requests for development and for exposure to other areas of the business. Managers will then work with employees to determine what development is available that fits with individual career pathway plans. The employee interviews also provide Huon with further information about employee’s future plans as well as critical feedback on how we can improve communications, induction experiences, training approaches as well as a number of other people development strategies for the future. We appreciate everyone’s help and input into the future workforce development of all team members.

ENGINEERING INTERNSHIP In December 2018, Huon offered our first Engineering Internship for a third-year UTAS Engineering students partnering with ASC Engineering. Matt Baker was successful in securing the internship for a 12-week period working under the support and Leadership of Leigh Savage in the Pillings Team. Since joining the team, Matt has embraced many design tasks with support of Leigh and ASC Engineering with some of the tasks completed including designing structural backbones, reviewing wharf designs, reviewing spinner designs modelling ideal spinner floats, checking and making changes to existing grid buoy spears (steel work that runs through the middle of our large grid cans), running finite analysis on backbone, grid buoy spears and bird net designs and designing a new, safer ladder for the Strahan tankers on the harvest. We are really proud of offering this Internship and hope to offer more Engineering Internships in the future.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Striving to be leaders in our industry

Kingfish Trial Moves To Next Stage In early February we confirmed to the New South Wales Government that we were finalising the joint Yellowtail Kingfish research trial in Providence Bay, Port Stephens earlier than anticipated. We believe that the joint trial has been a success in that we have learnt a lot about how to farm high-quality Yellowtail Kingfish in warm water as well as farming in a highly exposed site. The trial demonstrated there are no biological challenges to farming Yellowtail Kingfish while also providing valuable information around environmental, economic and marketing matters associated with farming Yellowtail Kingfish. We are now in a position to pursue commercially farming Kingfish off the Australian coastline, which is the very outcome that the trial set out to achieve—this result truly is a credit to everyone involved.

– ‘We are now in a position to pursue commercially farming Kingfish off the Australian coastline, which is the very outcome that the trial set out to achieve—this result truly is a credit to everyone involved.’ We simply couldn’t have achieved what we have without our hard-working employees who worked on the Kingfish project especially Daniel Creevey, David McGough, Elisha Lovell, Georgie Whelan, Matthew King, Phillip Dayton, Rhys Mitchell and Robert Watson.

The trial did have ongoing challenges with the trial included sourcing commercial quantities of Yellowtail Kingfish fingerlings, the lack of a suitable holding/harvest site to ensure a stable market supply, and an appropriate shore base. Challenges aside, we believe the future is bright for farming Yellowtail Kingfish which has been proven by the joint research trial. Customer feedback indicates the fish is a very high quality, versatile product and an excellent species for aquaculture production. This is why we are exploring the possibility of farming Kingfish elsewhere in NSW as well as in Western Australia.

We would also like to thank the NSW Department of Primary Industries, especially the team at the Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, for their technical expertise during the trial and the local community for their support, dedication and patience.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Striving to be leaders in our industry

Huon gives a Helping Hand Beginning in 2013, Huon has been assisting our local communities with our Helping Hand grants.

Twice yearly we accept applications from local community groups that ask for our assistance with various fundraising activities that will influence and assist for years to come. In previous rounds we have assisted with various projects including providing our delicious salmon for fundraisers to providing donations for assistance with establishing STEM programs, community gardens and purchasing sporting equipment. Our most recent round was in October 2018 and we assisted eleven groups with monetary and in-kind product donations. Four of our recipients this round were the Port Sorell Surf Lifesaving Club, the Port Stephens Volunteer Marine Rescue, 1st Penguin Sea Scouts, and the Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden.

Haydon Coates, President of the Port Sorell Surf Lifesaving Club said, “for the past three years, the Port Sorell Surf Lifesaving Club has run their Markets by the Beach. “We run the Markets with the aim of the community enjoying our beautiful beach and club whilst enjoying good food, drink and company. “The Markets bring together the local community and they help to fundraise for the hard work that we do here at the Port Sorell Surf Lifesaving Club. “We received huge compliments last year from the salmon you provided— which sold out! “The donations allowed all proceeds from our barbecue to go back to the club and with those funds we purchased a new board for our Nippers,” concluded Haydon. Port Sorell is located approximately twenty minutes away from our Parramatta Creek processing facility.

PORT SORELL SURF LIFESAVING CLUB Huon were happy to once again provide the Port Sorell Surf Lifesaving Club with salmon for the barbecue at their community event, the ‘Markets by the Beach’. 16

Frances added, “we are proud to support the local communities where we operate. A lot of our workers at Parramatta Creek live in Port Sorell and the surrounding suburbs so we are happy to help assist this community initiative with their fundraising efforts by providing some delicious salmon for their barbecue.” This year the Port Sorell Surf Lifesaving Club are raising funds for their club redevelopment and will use money raised from the barbecue to build new change room facilities for use of both the club and local community.

PORT STEPHENS VOLUNTEER MARINE RESCUE Port Stephens Marine Rescue is a volunteer emergency response team driven by the motto volunteers saving lives on the water. Their organisation provides radio communications and rescue vessels to assist vessels and people in distress on the water in their local area. The Volunteer Marine Rescue applied for a Helping Hand grant from Huon for funding to purchase three new first aid kits to have one on each of their vessels – enabling consistency in what each stocks and faster response times in times of need. Grants Officer for the Volunteer Marine Rescue Port Stephens John Reid said, “the money from Huon will allow us to facilitate rapid and consistent access to the full schedule first aid kits carried on our rescue vessels. “We need our crews to have first aid kits to not only meet current regulations, but also the needs of injured persons who we save from vessels in distress,” concluded John. On confirming the success of the grant Frances said, “as a company we have a big focus on safety, especially safety onwater and this ticks all those boxes! “I can’t overstate enough how important of a role that marine rescue plays. “As waterway users we both have a responsibility to come to the aid of others who need assistance, and to foster positive behaviour in our shared waterways. “I am very pleased that we have the opportunity to support the Volunteer Marine Rescue and I would like to thank them not only for taking the time to submit an application but for the vital work they do,” concluded Frances.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Striving to be leaders in our industry

– Volunteers Kay and Leah accepting our donation. –

1ST PENGUIN SEA SCOUT GROUP The 1st Penguin Sea Scouts are one of the oldest Scout groups in Tasmania, having been in existence for over 110 years. The group recently transitioned from a traditional Scout group to becoming Sea Scouts which gives them new exciting experiences in the water and more opportunities for camping adventures. The Penguin Sea Scouts aim to aid the children in the local community to develop into forward-thinking citizens of the future. The Sea Scouts are an extension of the regular Scout movement with a strong focus on water-based activities. Penguin Sea Scout Leader Adam Bracken applied to Huon for a grant to purchase 18 new PFDs for the Cubs to enable all members of the group to participate in boating activities.

EMU VALLEY RHODODENDRON GARDEN The Emu Valley Rhododendron Garden in North-West Tasmania has a strong reputation as a world-class garden and a tourist attraction in the Burnie area.

with their fundraising efforts, saying, “our volunteers deserve better conditions and we are wanting to raise money to build a new undercover rest area for them.

Their beautiful grounds are supported by work programs and tireless volunteers and help to assist the disadvantaged members of their local community with the opportunities that they provide.

“We provide opportunities for the disadvantaged, Work for the Dole participants, disabled and unemployed in our community to have important work experience that allows them to develop works skills. We pride ourselves on the number of participants we have assisted in gaining employment afterwards.

They operate seven days a week with their garden enhancement, maintenance and their kitchen and tea room for visitors to enjoy.

“This younger age bracket provides water activities for an extra 20 members of our group who require smaller sizes of PFDs than we previously had available. “Thank you Huon Aquaculture! The jackets are fantastic – they have just been marked and tagged and are now happily being used by our Cubs,” concluded Adam.

“Our aim is to have a fully enclosed space under the main building with tables and chairs and a functioning kitchenette for them to use during their time with us,” ended Geoff.

Geoff Wood, the Garden’s General Manager, applied for a Helping Hand grant from Huon for our salmon to assist

– ‘We are proud to support the local communities where we operate. A lot of our workers at Parramatta Creek live in Port Sorell and the surrounding suburbs so we are happy to help assist this community initiative with their fundraising efforts by providing some delicious salmon for their barbecue.’

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Provide best quality of service possible

What’s been happening on the West Coast Our staff and community at Strahan (Macquarie Harbour) have been extremely busy over the summer with its seasonal harvest and numerous festive events.

– ‘This has been the best day of my life!’ –

This year, Huon was proud to support the 121st Annual Mount Lyell Strahan Picnic held on Saturday 26th January. On the day, the popular Huon Aquaculture Sandcastle Competition dubbed a group of boys the winners who creatively encapsulated the Australia Day spirit with their ‘meat pie’ sandcastle. It was noted that the pie was even topped with tomato sauce. Leigh Styles, (Chair of the Picnic Committee), said, “at a time when many families on the West Coast are doing it tough, Huon’s support meant that we were able to provide a day out for families at no cost to them. One little boy remarked, “this has been the best day of my life”, and at that moment our committee were reminded as to why we do it every year. Styles was very grateful saying, “Thank you to Huon for your generous donation and for keeping our 121–year tradition going.” The summer festivities also saw Huon supporting the Strahan Christmas Family Night—an evening of brass and choir entertainment, family friendly activities, a BBQ dinner, children’s parade, and the Christmas lights competition. In the same week leading into Christmas, Huon hosted an afternoon charter tour for members of the local community – this was held in conjunction with fellow aquaculture industry operators. On the operations front, we’d like to welcome back Dale Russell as Strahan’s Zone Manager. After a short stint away from Huon, Dale has returned to the Strahan site having taken over from Rob McKendrick in late December. Over summer, the staff have been cleaning predator nets and the in-pen oxygenation systems onsite, which are currently being installed. There are ongoing fish harvests for

our 17YC with healthy weights and staff are also keeping busy with upsizing our 18YC salmon and trout into their grow-out nets, allowing for better water flow through the warmer months. Our newest vessel, Zeus, is also in the water and has been filling up all the feed bins.

– ‘At a time when many families on the West Coast are doing it tough, Huon’s support meant that we were able to provide a day out for families at no cost to them.’

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Provide best quality of service possible

Mystate Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival The MyState Bank Australian Wooden Boat Festival was held between the 8th and 11th of February on the Hobart Waterfront. Commonly referred to as the Wooden Boat Festival, it has been running bi-annually since 1994 alongside the Royal Hobart Regatta. Huon had a varied involvement in this year’s festival. We had a presence in the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council’s Seafood Marquee, in the Wooden Boat Festival Kitchen and our products were also proudly served by Lean-to Kitchen. On each of the days that the festival was running all three Tasmanian salmon companies had representation at the ‘Tasmanian Salmon Information Stand’. Visitors to the stand were invited to present any questions they had about the industry – and asked about anything from recipes and stockists to feed ingredients and how we choose our lease sites.

In the Kitchen we had Luke Cavanagh presenting two masterclasses to an engaged audience. Highlighting our Huon Salmon alongside delicious produce from the Huon Valley, Luke shared two separate recipes on Friday night and Saturday morning. On Friday afternoon he shared a recipe for a Hot Smoked Salmon Brioche that is perfect for any time of the day, as well as a Huon Salmon, tomato and sheep’s curd tarte tatin. We partnered with the team at Lean-To Kitchen to showcase some of our Huon Salmon on their menu. For breakfast they served either an Eggs Benedict roll or a Huon Salmon, Fried Egg and Dill Hollandaise bun with a much-needed cup of coffee. They also offered two main course options of Grilled Huon Salmon with Pink-Eye Potatoes, Rocket and Saffron Mayonnaise or a Huon Salmon Tasting Box which showcased our Hot and Cold Smoked Salmon, Pâté and our Huon Salmon Caviar served with their Lean-To Kitchen Mustards, Salad and Crusty Bread.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

– ‘We partnered with the team at Lean-To Kitchen to showcase some of our Huon Salmon on their menu. For breakfast they served either an Eggs Benedict roll or a Huon Salmon, Fried Egg and Dill Hollandaise bun with a much-needed cup of coffee. ’

Provide best quality of service possible

Rob’s Export Update:

New Zealand’s Seafood Turducken I have recently returned from a sales trip to New Zealand. As many of you may already know, New Zealand has an existing King Salmon industry that produces around 8,000 tonnes of salmon per year. We are always looking for ways to expand our business and our Huon brand internationally, and New Zealand is a market that we are excited to keep working in. We currently work with Countdown (the New Zealand equivalent of Woolworths) to supply our HOG, which is then ranged against their New Zealand King Salmon. Over the Christmas period one of their key successes was their seafood equivalent of the ‘turducken’ – the Three Fish Roast. At 1kg to serve six people, it uses our Huon Salmon wrapped around fresh tarakihi with prawns and a sundried tomato and herb

stuffing. This is then wrapped in streaky bacon and is a unique addition to a Christmas table. A recent addition to our New Zealand product range are our Nibbles. Nibbles are the belly fin of our salmon, coated with a salt and blackening spice mix and cured overnight. They are then hot smoked to cook and are a huge hit with our customers. We export around 400kg of Nibbles per week and currently have a demand higher than we are able to produce. Our business with Countdown plays perfectly into our business strategy of having key retail partners in our export markets. With Countdown being New Zealand’s leading supermarket brand and having 180 stores and counting, we are delighted to have them stocking our premium Huon Salmon products and are excited for what the future can bring.

Rob Mann, Export Manager.

– ‘Over the Christmas period one of their key successes was their seafood equivalent of the ‘turducken’ – the Three Fish Roast.’

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation

New staff hires What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know? My partner (who is a fisherman) and I live on a little hobby farm north of Hobart with our horses and sheep. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? On 5 Mile Beach riding! Or fishing.

Peter McNeil

Karen Hudson

Workplace Health & Safety Advisor

Injury Management Coordinator

Where are you from & where are you based?

I’m not based at any one site – my role involves helping all the marine sites and no one day looks the same for me.

I am a member of the Workplace Health and Safety team, based in the City Office, at Hideaway every Friday, PMC monthly and other sites as required.

What is your background before Huon? Most recently I was the HR Manager at the Huon Valley Council with the overall responsibility for Payroll, HR, Learning and Development, Industrial Relations, and Work Health and Safety for 190 employees. Before this I have a background as a FIFO worker in the mines of Western Australia. I then moved into the Work Health and Safety field in the Pilbara region and have also spent some time on the West Coast with Tassal. Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about? My role is to ensure we have current practices/processes to ensure we have a safe workplace for everyone. What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know? 1; I joined the RAAF as a Trade Apprentice when I was 15 years old, and 2; I also raced power boats for fun. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? Working in my shed on one of my cars or out fishing with my sons.

What is your background before Huon? My most recent role was Injury Management for a Tasmanian owned business working with various companies in Hobart. I also had 10 years in local government working in Injury Management, HR, Wellbeing, Insurance and Community Development. Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about? I love working in Injury Management. Unfortunately, there are times where our employees become injured while at work and my role is to assist in facilitating their return while liaising with the injured employee and their manager, medical specialists and our insurer. My role also involves assisting our workers through their rehabilitation and compensation process – it can be very rewarding when positive outcomes are achieved for all parties. I am really excited to be working at Huon – the support as a new employee has been fantastic. I am still learning about the business and the diverse roles we have – I still have a lot of people to meet and look forward to doing so.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Daniella Zappner

Learning & Development Officer Where are you from and where are you based? I grew up in the Huon Valley in the beautiful town of Franklin. I currently live in Kingston which is great for commuting to various work sites in the south. What is your background before Huon? I have worked in various roles in the tourism, hospitality and retail industries. These led me to my most recent job of Induction Trainer – I specialised in Tasmanian Wine training for the past five years! Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about? As a Learning and Development Officer my main duties are to coordinate and administrate various tasks that are centred around training requirements for Huon’s Employees; I work closely with other members of the L&D Team and provide supportive services to all Managers to enable this to occur.

Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation

Change and growth excites me as it means opportunities for new adventures. What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know? I have a lovely veggie garden which is located on the banks of the Huon River in Franklin – not a bad spot to wind down while tending my tomato plants after a busy day at Hideaway.

a snow mobile…Who knew that Santa actually lives in the South Pole, not the North Pole! Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? In good weather, ideally I’d be out on the water kayaking. But on rainy days, I’m pretty partial to a good brunch with a good book, or a Netflix binge session.

Kathy Rukavina Marketing Manager

Where are you from & where are you based? Born and raised in Canberra, spent time in Queensland before settling in Melbourne for 13 years - then moved to Hobart.

Emily Robinson

Melissa Butterworth

Planning Officer

Customer Representative – South Australia

Where are you from & where are you based?

I’m originally from Adelaide, but I lived in Tassie for 6 years while I was studying at university. I’m currently based in the Hobart office, with the occasional day down at the farm.

On the road in South Australia.

What is your background before Huon? I did my Masters in Marine and Antarctic Science at UTAS, but I’ve recently just moved back from New Zealand where I was working as a town planner for a district council, and also doing some Fisheries observing on commercial trawlers for the government. Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about? I’ve just joined the Commercial & Planning team as a Planning Officer. I’m currently working on end-of-month operations reports, facilities planning and some analysis around feed and mortalities.

What is your background before Huon? Prior to Huon, I spent 4 ½ years with the Ochre Health Group, which is a medical services organisation providing healthcare services nationally as well as GP and Specialist recruitment services in Australia and New Zealand. I was responsible for the groups strategic marketing and brand direction and delivery of marketing.

What is your background before Huon? I was contracted to L’Oréal as a customer rep for almost 7 years, before taking on the Marketing Manager position at Mollydooker Wines in McLaren Vale to fulfil my passion for food and wine.

Prior to Ochre Health I’ve worked across a variety of industries including sport, tourism and hospitality as well as managing a range of sponsorship portfolios, events, public marketing campaigns and brand development strategies.

Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about?

My role is to increase brand awareness and market share of Huon product here is South Australia. My focus is on building direct relationships with the aim to also facilitate relationships between customers and wholesalers. I’m excited to be representing such an innovative brand and I look forward to making a real difference to Huon’s presence here in SA.

I’m excited to learn as much as I can about aquaculture, and to work with the great team here at Huon.

What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know?

Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning?

A few years ago, I spent Christmas camping on the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica. We even got visited by Santa driving

I’ve never caught a fish in my life :) At the beach with my little family, sun shining, coffee in hand.

My role is quite broad and varied but at its simplest I am responsible for the continuation, development and implementation of the Huon Aquaculture marketing strategy, and positioning the brand to deliver premium returns in all sales channels. This involves ensuring consistency of brand messaging and presentations across all aspects of the Huon portfolio and making sure that our marketing activities positively reflect brand values, corporate image and core values. I’m really excited about the Huon brand and working with a knowledgeable and passionate team. What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know?

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation

I’m first generation Australia and trying to incorporate a second language into my daughter’s life. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? A sleep-in followed by good coffee, the Saturday Age quiz and then pancakes with my family.

Robert Elliott

Ebony Abblitt

Communications Coordinator Graduate

Community Relations Advisor

Where are you from & where are you based?

Originally a Kiwi – go the All Blacks! I moved to Australia in 1982. I live in Ranelagh in the Huon Valley with my wife and our German Shepherd. I am based in the Hobart office.

I moved to Tasmania from regional Victoria (Bendigo) a year ago. I now live in West Hobart and regularly commute from the Hobart Office out to local communities surrounding Huon’s sites/ operations throughout the state.

What is your background before Huon?

Where are you from & where are you based?

I am a former journalist, news editor, newsreader and journalism academic.

Born and bred Tasmanian – I grew up in Devonport but have lived in the Hobart area for most of my life.

I worked as the Marketing & Communications Manager for Tasplan, Communications Manager at UTAS and most recently as a Senior Communications & Media Advisor at the Huon Valley Council.

What is your background before Huon? I graduated from the University of Tasmania in 2017 with a Bachelor of Media. Before and during my degree I worked in a variety of customer service, sales and administration jobs.

Chali Meerwald

Community Relations Advisor

What is your background before Huon? Before Huon, I was the Communications Officer for a local Tasmanian council. Prior to this, I was working with local communities throughout Victoria and Canberra in programs development and strategic planning for organisations of all levels.

Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about?

After graduation I worked on my own freelance creative business in the beauty and lifestyle industry, as well as various temporary assignments with local businesses.

As a Community Relations Advisor I am a touchpoint for Huon Aquaculture and our local communities. I am excited about meeting members of local communities where our operations are based.

Together with my colleague Rob Elliott, our role is to engage with various community stakeholders in dealing with Huon’s outward facing initiatives and issues.

Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about?

What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know?

I work in the Corporate Communications team and my role is varied. On an average day you could find me creating content for the intranet, organising social media posts, writing a media release… anything related to our internal and external communications. I am so excited to be working for such a strong Tasmanian brand and I am loving learning more each day about this industry and strengthening my skills.

I’m really happy when I get the chance to photograph flowers on a tree or shrub I’ve grown for that express purpose. I’ve waited 5-10 years for decent flowers on my banksias, grevilleas and eucalypts – but it’s been worth it! Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? Exercising, gardening, playing with (and trying to retrieve our) German Shepherd and wailing out some blues harmonica (which causes the dog to run away).

I am most excited to learn about Huon’s innovations in the aquaculture industry and with this, help to forge joint community ventures which support our staff and their communities. What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know? I moved to New Zealand when I was 19 which is where I learnt to kayak and this is now one of my favourite hobbies. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? Coffee and cake from the local patisserie followed by a paddle on the river

Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? A sleep in, cuddles with my cat and an Intermediate KX Pilates class – and then ideally brunch. THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation

– ‘I am happy to assure everyone that these new robots will not eliminate any jobs at the factory. The staff who were previously doing all of the manual labour are still employed in the dispatch area, and in time will be upskilled to work in other areas of the factory.’ The robots help to streamline the packaging process by eliminating physical strain off the staff working in our dispatch area. Prior to the robots our dispatch staff were lifting hundreds of 20 kilogram polyboxes a day – which is a lot of manual labour. With these robots installed the process is not only faster, but it also mitigates any risk of strain or injury to staff.

Parramatta Creek Update Our Parramatta Creek Processing Facility has been a hive of activity and change in recent months. We have improved our BRC rating, redesigned the factory’s main access points, upgraded our staff changing facilities, and added two new paddle gripper robots to our dispatch area to improve manual handling procedures and fasten our dispatch process. The British Retail Consortium’s Global Standards is a leading brand and consumer protection organisation used by over 26,000 certified suppliers worldwide. In 2010 we were awarded an A rating by their independent auditor. In 2018 we were once again audited and were delighted to receive an AA rating – the highest rating they award. We still remain the only Australian aquaculture company to hold such a high rating. Prior to redesigning our access points, we had our staff accessing the factory through the dispatch area. This was inefficient, as

having staff unnecessarily in the dispatch area disrupted the process. The new access points also mean that we have mitigated any possible risk of cross-contamination between our two different processing areas in the factory. One of the new access points goes directly into the filleting and raw fish area and the other into our wet processing area. This allows for segregation from the dispatch area, meaning a safer work environment for all staff. These new access points allow staff more convenient access into their work area, as well as eliminating any hygiene and cross-contamination risk. The two paddle gripper robots in our dispatch area have helped to streamline the packaging process. Active since just before Christmas, the robots were purposefully designed by JMP Engineering, a New Zealand-based company that specialises in robot palletising technology. The paddle gripper systems are unique with their design – being able to pick up two polyboxes at a time and place them individually on our pallets. They are able to rotate them in flight ensuring the labels face out wherever the boxes are placed, making them easier to scan so the product can get where it needs to go with minimal fuss.

I am happy to assure everyone that these new robots will not eliminate any jobs at the factory. The staff who were previously doing all of the manual labour are still employed in the dispatch area, and in time will be upskilled to work in other areas of the factory. We are all about planning for the future – not taking jobs away from our valued employees. We have also put time into researching new tankers for transporting the fish between their point of harvest and our facility for processing. Most salmon producers use salted slush ice to transport the fish inside the trucks which then goes into wastewater. The water that we use is treated and irrigated for use in our surrounding farmland, so working on new environmentally friendly initiatives has been a priority over the last year. We are currently having a new tanker built that has a refrigeration unit for safer and easier transportation for the fish, as well as a purpose-built polystyrene trailer on the back making it easier to transport both polyboxes and feed where necessary between sites. We are creating these new tankers with a large emphasis on food safety and a high quality end product. Simon Fraser, Processing Manager

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Be a workforce that seeks excellence and innovation

Parramatta Creek – New Staff Hires

Rodney Brett

Marcel Fillion,

Production Performance Manager

Workplace Health & Safety Advisor

Where are you from & where are you based?

Born in Tasmania and currently living in Latrobe and working at Parramatta Creek.

I live in Devonport and I am based at the Parramatta Creek processing facility.

What is your background before Huon?

I have worked in the seafood industry for over 36 years, starting as a depot supervisor for SAFCOL along the East Coast of Tasmania in Triabunna.

I worked for Petuna at their Devonport Processing Facility in Production and Production Systems Management for 10 years.

I am originally from Canada and have been living in Australia for 26 years, becoming a citizen in 2008. I’m based at Parramatta Creek.

I moved to SAFCOL’s Margate facility as an assistant production manager, then onto managing production and quality operations for Petuna, based in East Devonport.

Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about?

Quality Assurance Manager

Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about? My role is to provide systems and process support for the Quality Management Systems operating at Huon’s production facility at Parramatta Creek. I am most excited about Huon’s direction and aim to continue to be recognised as one of the world’s leading and progressive aquaculture businesses. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? Anywhere in our caravan, a good book, peace, quiet and no lawns to mow.

My time at Huon began in IT support for factory operations but has recently transitioned to Production Performance Manager. I now work with the Processing Team to better capture data so that we can improve our decision making process to work more efficiently and proactively. What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know? It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? Spending time with the family or heading out for a ride on the motorbike.

Maria Honeywood

What is your background before Huon? Prior to Huon I was a WHS Consultant with First State Super in NSW for 18 months and WHS Manager with Tradelink & Stramit in NSW for 10 years. Tell us a bit about your role here – what is it you do, and what are you most excited about? Primarily my role is to implement health and safety initiatives to improve health and safety outcomes for our employees and the business. I’m most excited about ensuring our WHS processes are clearly articulated and understood, because as well as keeping our staff safe, a well-executed WHS process can enhance brand value, improve employee loyalty, decrease business disruptions, and promote corporate social responsibility. What’s one interesting fact that nobody would know? I play the ukulele. Ideal way to spend a Saturday morning? My ideal way to spend a Saturday morning starts with a large cup of coffee and reading the weekend paper then a bit of gardening.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Fish Tales

FUN FACTS! Did you know that the Hogan is named after Hogan Island in Tasmania? Our fish nets are cleaned by machines – so much quicker than doing it by hand! Our Parramatta Creek facility processes over 20,000 tonnes of fish per year – that’s a lot of fish! The Paddle Gripper robots cost over $1million—that’s enough money to buy almost 35,000 nerf guns! Harvey is a two-year-old Labradoodle who loves cuddles and walks – but most of all he loves his mum! Handfish are less than 8cm big – they’re so small they’d fit in your hand! There are 19 different varieties of handfish in the world – but there are only three types in Tasmania. In New Zealand they call Woolworths Countdown. Whale Point has 300,000 fish – that’s a big fish tank!

We would like to give a big shout out to the Churchill family especially to Rory, Nathan and Hamish for making sure that their toys are keeping up with everything happening at Dad’s work!

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Fish Tales

WORD SEARCH L

U R

L U

AQUACULTURE

HARVEY

PET FOOD

SURVEY

BOAT

HELPING HAND

ROBOT

TURDUCKEN

CONTROL ROOM

HOGAN

SADIE

VETERINARIAN

FEED BARGE

HUON VALLEY

SALMON

WELLBOAT

FEED ROOM

LABRADOODLE

SHOAL

WHALE POINT

HANDFISH

NEW ZEALAND

STRAHAN

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | Januaryâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;March 2019

Fish Tales

Colouring in Competition KIDS ONLY!

Colour in Harvey to go into the draw to win a $50 gift voucher to Dymocks Bookstore. Parents/Guardians – please send an image of your child’s picture to communcations@huonaqua.com.au with their name, age and your best contact details. The winner will be drawn randomly from all entries received by 1st May, 2019.

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Fish Tales

Around the Farm METHOD

Tour of the Millybrook Hatchery – lead by tour guide/dog Sandy!

Kylie Short, Senior Technical Officer, during the smolt transfer at Whale Point

Huon Salmon sausage rolls

A new SAAB Seaeye Falcon ROV in a Fortress Pen

Osaka seafood show

To have your image included in the next edition’s Around The Farm email: communications@huonaqua.com.au

THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

Perro the friendly Forest Home Hatchery dog! (Lovingly owned by Lindsay, Hatchery Manager)

What our customers are saying... –

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‘I just wanted to let you know that we purchased the Christmas hamper for the third year in a row and the 1kg fillet was absolutely divine. I don’t usually leave feedback but I really would like you to know how delicious it was. I even gave our dog (she is family) some salmon and you could see the delight register in her eyes. Keep up the great standards and delivery.’

‘Huon products are just getting better and are delicious.’

‘Congratulations Huon – more of world’s best practice!

Lynne

Howard

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‘Your product is fresh, competitively priced and your business is committed to a sustainable food industry.’

‘The only salmon I trust. Perfect for my family, including my 2-year-old daughter.’

‘My wife and I were at Roxburgh Fish in Melbourne. The representative from your company was very helpful and her professional approach was excellent and very knowledgeable. Huon salmon is the best we have ever tasted. Well done, Huon!’

Marta

Joe

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Deb

– – ‘Beautiful product!’ Eloise

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Peter

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– ‘The only salmon I’ll buy!’ Emma

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THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

– HUON Christmas Hamper –

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‘Great to see an ethical company in practice… keep up the good work Huon!’ –

‘A great family and locally owned company whom produce the finest product I have had the pleasure to eat. Well done Huon!’

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David

‘Nice work Huon Aquaculture – your company’s social conscience is in the right place. Many could follow your lead.’

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Lee-Anne

Craig

‘Yummy, fresh Tasmanian Huon salmon.’

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‘I would like to congratulate you on the most delicious salmon – I purchased the Wood Roasted Salmon yesterday for the first time – OMG, soo good! I will most definitely be purchasing more often – thank you for producing such a wonderful product!’

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‘Local Tassie produce, always a winner in my books!’

Pauline

‘Nothing beats Huon Cold Smoked Salmon!’

Adrian

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Denise

– – ‘The best salmon, I love to eat it every day.’ Shirley

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‘Huon Salmon is home-grown Australian – nothing better! Yummy!’ Louise

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Mark

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THE HUON STORY | Huon Aquaculture | January–March 2019

* Some comments have been edited for clarity and length*

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