CANADA
August 2012
In This Issue MH Canada Q2 2012 – Good Progress in Production, but Margins Challenging . . . . 1 MHC now Supplying Certified Salmon!. . . . . 2 Forklift Operator will retire “when they chase me out of the plant”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Coming soon to a computer near you email in “the cloud”. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Diana Pickwick Retires with Great Memories and New Friends. . . . . . . . . . 4 Last Crop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Come out to our Salmon Barbeques. . . . . . . . 5 Firing up the BBQ for a Great Cause. . . . . . . . 5 Sayward Bike Rodeo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Great weather and great fun at the 16th Annual BC Aquaculture Slo-Pitch Tournament! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know? If two flies reproduced without predators for a year, the resulting mass of flies would be the size of the earth!
Trivia time! Which of the following animals has the longest recorded life span – the termite, chimpanzee, Indian elephant or freshwater oyster?
Comments about this Newsletter?
Please email comments, articles and ideas to Ian Roberts, Communications Manager at ian.roberts@marineharvest.com
Wharfside MH Canada Q2 2012 – Good Progress in Production, but Margins Challenging Including the margins from sales MH Canada reported a loss of CAD 7.4 million for the second quarter of 2012 on a harvest volume of 10,569 MT. As By Vincent Erenst, the consolidated Managing Director result of the first quarter was break-even, the result Year To Date (YTD) is equally a loss of CAD 7.4 million. Given the current market situation the result, as unsatisfactory as it may be, is in line with expectations. In spite of the loss cash flow for the quarter was good at CAD 12.4 million; we are financially healthy! Sales and Market Prices were fairly stable during the second quarter but decreased in the second half of June on increasing volumes out of Chile and ample supply of Sockeye from Alaska. This trend has continued into July. Price back to plant was CAD 4.42/kg as compared to CAD 6.48 /kg in Q2 last year. The negative influence on net price due to the effects of kudoa should be behind us now. Going forward kudoa will have minimal effect as only one moderately
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affected farm remains to be harvested. Average HOG size was an impressive 5.56 kg, the result of improved growth. Superior rate was 88 %. Farm Production We have seen continued good growth in this quarter, with a biomass production of 10,815 MT, which was 6 % above budget. YTD we stand at 21,162 MT produced. Av. monthly mortality in the quarter was 0.7%. High predator mortality in the Port Hardy area and some BKD in the Klemtu farms are the main causes. Measures have been taken to prevent predator mortality next winter. The IHN outbreak at a farm of a competitor near Tofino has been contained in that area and there have been no positives on the East coast of the Island. The fish health situation at all Marine Harvest farms has remained good through this quarter. The good growth performance resulted in a cost to stock of CAD 2.81/kg, 3 % better than budget and we have every expectation for this trend to continue. Processing Both plants functioned well during the quarter with a primary processing cost of CAD 0.43/kg, right on budget. Plant hygiene has been good with Klemtu and PH VA meeting standards all Continued on page 2
MHC now Supplying Certified Salmon! certified product for Marine Harvest Canada customers.
The bar has been raised for British Columbia’s largest agricultural export. Marine Harvest Canada (MHC), has now achieved the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification at five marine salmon farm sites.
“We are extremely pleased to have achieved this certification milestone which demonstrates our commitment to environmental integrity and continual improvement throughout our operations,” states Clare Backman, Sustainability Director. This announcement is an important step
Third party audits of the BAP Salmon Farms standard will continue at all remaining MHC salmon farms.
in the company’s interest in receiving a full “4 star rating” from BAP, which will include certification of all its salmon farms, processing plants, feed mill suppliers and freshwater hatcheries. The Global Aquaculture Alliance, the leading standards-setting organization for aquaculture seafood, is an international, non-profit trade association whose Best Aquaculture Practices program provides comprehensive, metrics-based certification for aquaculture facilities -- including farms, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants. For more information visit www.gaalliance. org and http://www.marineharvestcanada. com/aquaculture_company_supplying_ certified_salmon.php
Successful certification of these additional sites will guarantee a continuous supply of
Continued from page 1 “MH Canada Q2 2012 – Good Progress in Production, but Margins Challenging”
three months and PH primary falling slightly behind for one month out of three. In the middle of July we suspended VA production as a result of increasingly unfavourable contracts for fillets. We will monitor the market situation going forward and revisit this situation monthly. Safety We have had one LTI during the quarter and 12 Minor Incidents (YTD 3 and 40). These results are similar to those of last year meaning the downward incident trend of the last 4 years has
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not continued. Before anything else we must focus on safety; we want everybody to come home safe every time!! Most MH Canada staff has completed the Brainsafe course. Feedback from the participants has been overwhelmingly positive. We must now insure that what was learnt becomes part of our culture and day to day activities. A follow up program is being developed and will be delivered this fall. Outlook Market wise we expect the third quarter to
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be the most challenging this year with prices in North America potentially hitting very low levels. In 2013 worldwide growth of production will be much less than in 2011 and 2012. Hence experts expect the market to get better going forwards. In the meantime we need to get through the remainder of this year. Continued good growth and tight cost control will help us to get through this down cycle.
Forklift Operator will retire “when they chase me out of the plant” By Gina Forsyth
It’s not unusual for people in their late 60s to kick back, relax, and enjoy their retirement after Ken Edgar a life filled with successful, not to mention, tiring work. However, that’s not for Ken Edgar, Forklift Operator at Marine Harvest’s processing plant in Klemtu, which is located on the northern coast of mainland BC.
Since 2005, Ken has been the full-time forklift operator at the processing plant. He’s responsible for moving pallets of packaged salmon from the processing line to Vancouver-bound trailers. He also unloads pallets and empty totes from the incoming trailers. While he received his forklift ticket after he was hired, he brought many years of work experience to the position. “I enjoy the people at work,” says Ken, adding that if he gave up work now, his life would have less meaning. Prior to this job, Ken spent years at the aluminum smelter in Kitimat, was a
commercial fishermen as well as a logger. Following two years on the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Band-owned harvest boat ‘Alexis Jane’, Ken applied for a position at the plant. Ken was born in Bella Bella but is a member of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais Band. He and his brothers and sister were brought up in the Klemtu area, where his father worked for many years in the fish cannery. Ken and his wife Barbara have five grandchildren and one great-grandchild. When not at work, Ken relaxes by fishing and spending lots of time with the grandchildren.
Coming soon to a computer near you - email in “the cloud” By Gina Forsyth
Cloud computing. It’s a phrase you may have heard. Well – get ready – you’ll soon experience it firsthand. What is it, you ask? Glad you asked. Wikipedia defines it as “the delivery of computing and storage capacity as a service to a heterogeneous community of endrecipients”. Say what?! Steve Mooney, IT Manager, explains it more simply, “Cloud computing is basically software as a service - the bringing together of infrastructure and shared services.” This global Marine Harvest initiative, driven by significant cost savings, was studied carefully before the decision was made to move ahead. Furthermore, “a great deal of research went into choosing which company
we wanted to launch us into the cloud. Marine Harvest Norway negotiated directly with Microsoft and the two companies agreed upon a monthly fee based on the total number of users for using their Office 365 software,” states Steve. The date for the official rollout is yet to be determined, although a small number of pilot users in Marine Harvest Canada as well as Scotland, Norway and the other BUs are already using the new system. “This gives us the chance to kick the tires and make sure that when we’re ready to expand the rollout to everyone, that we’ve got solid experience behind us,” he says. An advantage of cloud computing is its scalability. “If we need to add a significant number of users, it’s easily and quickly handled through this system. If down the road we need to decrease the number of
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users, that’s simple to do and we don’t have hardware or software sitting idle afterwards,” explains Steve. Although there will be a certain amount of learning involved once company email is moved to the cloud, Steve doesn’t foresee this new system being a major challenge for anyone to overcome. A concern for some has been the security of their data. However, the contract with Microsoft includes clauses that legally bind it to ensure that all Marine Harvest data is kept confidential. “We’re certainly not the only corporate client using Microsoft 365. More and more companies are regularly moving towards this form of computing just like we are and cloud computing simply wouldn’t exist if company-specific information was accessible to anyone outside our company,” concludes Steve. 3
Diana Pickwick Retires with Great Memories and New Friends
At Diana Pickwick’s retirement party held last month near Port McNeill, there was a statement echoed by many who’ve had the pleasure of working with her. “We’ll miss the baking,” stated many staff. While there’s no doubt that Diana can bake a mean banana loaf amongst other tasty
treats, it isn’t her baking that she wants to be remembered for. “I’m a mother and grandmother, so baking is just a part of life,” says Diana, humbly. Indeed, Diana’s storied career at Stolt Sea Farm and Marine Harvest is something to be very proud of. For over 20 years, she
has been an integral part of the company’s production team, with a specific expertise in caring for its brood stock. For 18 years, she had also remembered every single employee’s birthday by presenting them with a card and small gift. Oh, and then there’s the relationships she’s built not only with her peers but with the many visitors to her farm site. “I still keep in touch with many yachters that have visited,” she says, smiling at the memories. Even in retirement she’ll keep in touch with many tourists-come-friends. This includes a couple from Bremerton, Washington who have since visited Diana at her house for dinner and whom Diana has stayed with at their home. “I’m going to join them for a week next year when they make their way to Alaska,” she says, adding that she wouldn’t have had an opportunity to meet so many great people if she wasn’t “out there on the water”. Diana insists her working career isn’t over – she still has “lots of energy.” “I’m just ready to spend more time with family, in my garden and trying to perfect that game called golf.” “I must admit that I do have one regret,” she adds. “That is, I’m sorry that I didn’t get into this career at a younger age.”
Last Crop The last crop from Thurlow farm is now complete. These were some of the first fish to be harvested after following the “Law of the Farm” and satiation fed right from the
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beginning. It’s good to see how fast (and BIG) our fish can grow.
We would agree, because having Diana’s talents for 20 years just doesn’t seem long enough.
Submitted by Craig Sherman
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Answer: The freshwater oyster at 80 years. (50 years for termites and chimpanzees and 70 years for Indian elephants)
Come out to our Salmon Barbeques Firing up
the BBQ for a Great Cause
Please stop by, enjoy a salmon burger and help support the following charities and societies at the following events in 2012: March 17
Done! Done! Done! Done! Done! Done! Done! Done! Done!
Vanier Park, Courtenay
Y.A.N.A / St Joseph’s Hospital Foundation
Spirit Square, Campbell River
John Howard Society
Port Hardy
Cancer Society - Relay for Life
Spirit Square, Campbell River
Head Injury Society
Vanier Park, Courtenay
Cancer Society - Relay for Life
Dick Murphy Park, CR
Dragon Boat Society
Robert Ostler Park, CR
BC Firefighters Burn Fund
Centennial Pool, CR
Salmon Kings Swim Society
Coastline Mazda, CR
Hospice Society
August 18
OrcaFest, Port McNeill
Harvest Food Bank
September 9
Nunn’s Creek Park, CR
SPCA - Paws for a Cause
April 14 May 26 May 30 June 23 June 30 July 1 July 14 July 27
Sayward Bike Rodeo
The Campbell River Fire Fighters, Marine Harvest and Superstore teamed up on July 1st for the benefit of the BC Professional Fire Fighters’ Burn Fund. Over $1800.00 was raised by serving over 400 happy customers a Marine Harvest barbequed salmon burger and a side dish. Thanks to all the people who made a donation to this worthy cause. In the photo (l-r): Seth Hildebrand (Fire Prevention Officer), Debra Rogers (Alarm Room Operator/Burn Fund Rep), Scott Kratzmann (Firefighter), Adam Clarkson (Superstore), Ian Roberts (Marine Harvest Canada), Tyler Saxby (Firefighter)
For the past few years, Marine Harvest has donated a bike to the Sayward RCMP Bike Rodeo in support of the Sayward School PAC. This year’s winner of the MHC bike was Garrick. Garrick is pictured here with Sayward RCMP member Debra McAfee.
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Great weather and great fun at the 16th Annual BC Aquaculture Slo-Pitch Tournament!
Gerry encourages Joe to take the “walk of shame”
cks’ were MHC’s ‘Upchu ners! Division B win
Curtis M was totally confident in his tutu.
Yeah, we’re not sure eith
er? don
MHC’s Tania McDonald and Bran McColl were Division B MVPs
MHC’s ‘Red Snappers’ were not Division A or B winners!
on Kings’ MHC’s ‘Salgm ylin’! st in look
MHC’s ‘Something Fishy’ were definitely in the spirit!
Now that’s just
showing off!
More photos can be seen at http://www.farmfreshsalmon.org/salmon-farming-photos twitter.com/MHCanada
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facebook.com/MHCanada
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bit.ly/MHCanada