Wharfside
December 2013
In this issue
Leading the Blue Revolution: On the Cutting Edge What does Leading the Blue Revolution mean to me? It means that in all areas of our operations we will be looking for and implementing best practices.
Leading the Blue Revolution: On the Cutting Edge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 MHC is applying for Paramove 50 permit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Dale Gowan’s aquaculture career spans four decades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Eyes on the Goal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Let’s not slip. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 10 Myths about Marine Aquaculture. . . . . . . 4 Santa’s coming to a town near you!. . . . . . . . 5 Got photos? Win $$. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Global Connections during Final 2013 BAP Farm Audits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Thanks Skretting! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know? The oldest fish in captivity is an Australian lungfish named “Granddad” who lives at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium. He turned 80 this year!
Trivia time! What was the first film to feature a toilet on screen? Answer on Page 4
Comments about this Newsletter? Please email comments, articles and ideas to Ian Roberts, Communications Manager at ian.roberts@marineharvest.com
Does that statement seem a little bland? Perhaps to some, but it depends on how you look at it. It’s easy to get distracted and focused on things that are new and shiny, but as with all things in life, just because something is new doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better. Questioning and then evaluating our practices and results on a continuous basis will make us better. Refusing to accept the status quo will drive us to even greater successes. This attitude will not only improve our results, it will make our work more enjoyable and challenging. By Dr. Diane Morrison Fish Health and Food Safety Director
In the area of fish health, I have tried to ensure that we are ‘on the cutting edge’. I take best practices from the other agri-industries (poultry, swine, beef, and dairy) and apply them to our operations. For example: • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices are well established in other agriindustries. Marine Harvest Canada was the first to track and report on sea lice treatment efficacy, to incorporate emamectin benzoate
(active ingredient in SLICE) bioassay testing, and to work with DFO to access an alternative sea lice treatment. While our current management of sea lice - a naturally occurring marine parasite - is successful, sourcing alternative treatments is an important part of IPM. We are hopeful that all required permits will be granted and use of a new treatment for BC - Paramove® 50 (hydrogen peroxide) - will begin in early 2014. • We continue to look for non-medicinal sea lice controls. You might not have heard that we are actively looking for the Pacific lumpsucker. The Atlantic species of this fish is currently being used successfully to control sea lice infestations and reduce treatment requirements in Norway. We will work with DFO and other researchers to document how effectively the Pacific lumpsucker removes sea lice from Atlantic salmon. • Our Freshwater team’s family broodstock program will use genetic selection to drive production improvements. For example, this spring we will use a small group of fish from this program to investigate if some families are ‘resistant’ to Kudoa infection. • Biological data analysis in salmon farming has not reached the same level as other agri-industries where it has resulted in significant improvements. Over the years we have improved how we capture and use our production data, but the big discoveries will Continued on page 2
MHC is applying for Paramove 50 permit for continued reduction of Slice over time, so we are seeking to have another option for sea lice management.” Paramove 50™ has been used successfully elsewhere, including Eastern Canada, and is applied topically as a bath to remove small external fish parasites attached to the salmon. After treatment, the compound rapidly breaks down into water and oxygen.
After receiving initial authorization from Health Canada for a new treatment option for sea lice management in British Columbia, the application has now been submitted to the Province. The use of Paramove 50™ will enable the company to continue managing sea lice and reduce its use of the drug emamectin
benzoate (Brand name Slice™) - the only effective treatment available to BC salmon farmers for the past 14 years. “Our current use of Slice is minimal and has been very successful,” says Clare Backman, Marine Harvest Canada’s Director of Sustainable Programs. “However, strict 3rd party salmon certification standards press
A person wishing to contribute information about the treatment site for the evaluation of this permit application may send an email to communication@ marineharvestcanada.com by December 16. Please use subject title “Paramove 50 Application”. For more information and supporting documents please visit the Marine Harvest Canada website at: http://www. marineharvestcanada.com/news141113. php
Marine Harvest is proud to support Port Hardy Minor Hockey, and has purchased 36 brand new jersey for local kids this hockey season. Continued...
Leading the Blue Revolution: On the Cutting Edge come when we data-mine multiple years of results. • Improving our understanding of how ‘stress’ affects our salmon performance is another area which requires additional 2
focus. The other agri-industries have been able to document how handling or housing can affect productivity. In salmon farming the techniques and tests to do similar comparisons don’t currently exist. We’ll continue to discuss this with our production MarineHarvestCanada.com
department, and researchers, to ensure we drive this development. Leading the Blue Revolution means driving initiatives which ensure we are the best that we can be in everything we do.
Dale Gowan’s aquaculture career spans four decades He likes the challenge of continual improvement and enjoys coordinating staff and paying close attention to the early stages of the fish life cycle through sorting and checking the eggs.
Dale Gowan By Gina Forsyth
As the only manager Tsulton Hatchery has known in its 11 years, Dale Gowan is deservedly proud of the accomplishments he and his staff continue to enjoy. “In 2012 we spawned 45 million eyed eggs,” he says. The hatchery is located south of Port McNeill, almost 200 km north of Campbell River, and employs up to 8 people.
Dale was born in St. Andrews, New Brunswick and completed high school in nearby St. George. After grade 12, Dale studied theology for three years at Bible College in Fredericton and following that, spent four years as an Assistant Pastor in St. Catherines, Ontario. “After Ontario, I missed the water. I’m a son of a lobster and herring fisherman,” says Dale. He returned to St. George and laughs, “It was Dean Guest (Marine Harvest’s Freshwater Production Manager) who hired me in early 1988”. His career began at Stolt Sea Farm as a night watchman and then segued into maintenance. Dale ultimately became assistant manager at Digdeguash (pronounced ‘diggitywash’) Hatchery in New Brunswick. He also spent
time in the United States, managing a New Hampshire hatchery facility. An internal job posting at Stolt Sea Farm brought Dale and his wife Janice to BC in 2002. “I like working with brood and spawning, and that was part of what we did. And, I wanted to see BC for myself,” he explains. He and his wife Janice, who works at Marine Harvest’s Port Hardy Processing Plant, live on-site at the hatchery. They have been married for 30 years after meeting at Bible College, and have three kids together. Away from work, Dale adores spending time with his grandchildren, some of whom live in Port McNeill. “We do everything and anything, from going to the beach to flying kites and remote control airplanes.” He also makes time for outdoor photography, adding that “we’ve seen elk, deer, and a black bear within 100 feet of each other.”
Eyes on the Goal Marine Harvest Bandits’ Krista Drake battles for the ball against the Courtenay Revolution last month in Campbell River. Marine Harvest has supported the Bandits team– who play in the Mid-Island Women’s Soccer League - for the past 6 years.
MarineHarvestCanada.com
3
Let’s not slip By Blaine Tremblay, Health & Safety Advisor
This year we have had many accidents involving slips, trips, and falls. Through investigations and using Brain Safe concepts to better understand why these incidents occur, it is no surprise that attention loss, fatigue, distractions, and time constraints all play a role. Our brains operate out of habit 99.7% of the time, and are genetically wired to rest and conserve energy as much as possible. In order to combat this pattern of accidents we need to continue to put tools and processes in place to remind our brains to pay attention to our surroundings, moods and attitudes. There has been a very large increase in the amount of eye checks – a great tool for reducing accidents - being performed. Be Vocal is also a strong tool to help reduce accidents: we have to remind ourselves to speak up when we see or notice hazards in our work place so they can be corrected before someone is injured.
How many of you can relate to the following situations? -Walking past a tripping hazard and assuming that because “we made it” safely by that everybody else will too. -Lifting or moving heavy items by yourself and not asking for help. -Climbing on whatever is close by to reach something in a high place (standing on a chair instead of using a ladder). -Leaving items in a walkway “for just a second” while we hurriedly work on getting something else done. In your workplace, it’s important to be vocal about addressing hazards
during your scheduled meetings. More importantly, make sure you address new developing hazards immediately and communicate them to the rest of your team. Action Item: In your next monthly safety meeting, discuss the level of immediate hazard reporting currently at your site and rate it by the following- N (needs improvement), S (satisfactory) and G (Good). Discuss what can be done in the future to make it stronger or to keep it strong for injury prevention and the safety of your team! Sincerely, Blainesafe
10 Myths about Marine Aquaculture
4
expressed myths surrounding marine aquaculture, including:
6. Farmed salmon is full of harmful “coloradded” dyes.
1. Farmed fish and shellfish don’t taste as good.
7. Farmed fish are contaminated.
2. Farmed salmon are full of sea lice.
9. Aquaculture uses more wild fish than it produces.
3. Aquaculture causes diseases in wild fish. 4. Fish waste from net pen aquaculture harms the ecosystem. 5. Farmed fish are full of harmful antibiotics. MarineHarvestCanada.com
8. Farmed fish isn’t safe to eat.
10. The U.S. doesn’t need aquaculture. To see how these myths have been addressed, go to http://tinyurl.com/n8pqjn8. Answer: Psycho (1960) (Janet Leigh flushes notes down the toilet)
November was “Seafood Month”, and in response to a large number of rumors circulating on social media and some websites, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) decided to tackle some of the most commonly
Santa’s coming to a town near you! Santa is taking time from his busy schedule to visit Marine Harvest families before Christmas!
and their families – a truly memorable keepsake. In Port Hardy, he has arranged for some bouncing fun with Bounce-a-rama.
MHC is excited to again host the popular “Breakfast with Santa” in Campbell River and “Lunch with Santa” at the Port Hardy Processing Plant. Santa says that this year he has decided to bring along his wife and a couple of elves to enjoy the delicious meal, and help hand out gifts to all the good boys and girls.
If you haven’t already RSVP’d, please do so ASAP!
As an additional treat, Santa is also bringing to the Campbell River event the Four Frames Photo booth to take extraordinary, funky, unique photos of Marine Harvesters
Campbell River (RSVP to Lauren. Dwornik@marineharvest.com) December 21 (9-11am) The Anchor Inn Port Hardy Processing Plant (RSVP to Tina.Gonsky@marineharvest. com) December 14 (11am-2pm) Port Hardy Processing Plant
Got photos? Win $$ In celebration of its 30th Anniversary, the Aquaculture Association of Canada (AAC) is holding a photo contest. The AAC is encouraging people to submit aquaculture related photos to be judged for a cash prize of $100. Photos may be published on the AAC website and publications in 2014. Please submit high quality JPG photos (approx. 1 megabyte), along with the name of the photographer and a short description of the photo. Photos will be judged based on image quality, composition and content. Please email all submissions to AAC by January 31, 2014. For more information and/or submissions, please email the AAC Office at: aac@mar. dfo-mpo.gc.ca Good luck!
Knocking ice off the net with a hockey stick: can it get any more Canadian? (photo by Keith Wood) MarineHarvestCanada.com
5
Global Connections during Final 2013 BAP Farm Audits
Thanks Skretting!
Jay Pudota monitoring plankton at Quatsino Sound
What do Memorial University of Newfoundland, the village of Bhimavaram in India, and a BAP audit at Quatsino’s Monday Rocks farm have in common? As it turns out, more than you’d expect. Our auditor during the final audits of 2013, Conrad Powell, shares connections with Jay Pudota, one of two technicians who monitor plankton in Quatsino Sound. Conrad is originally from Newfoundland and studied at Memorial University. During the employee interviews required by the standard, Conrad has had a few opportunities to connect with fellow Newfoundlanders now working in BC. However, he’s never had a connection between Newfoundland and a village in India where he did a few days’ work years ago. Speaking with Jay, who came to
Canada from India to study aquaculture at Memorial, he asked what city Jay was from. Conrad has only been to two locations in India – the city he flew into and Bhimavaram where he worked. Unbelievably, Jay’s home is just outside Bhimavaram. The BAP audits in early November were the last of 2013. These sites achieved BAP certification on November 26, just three weeks after audit – a new record for Marine Harvest Canada! Many thanks to Monday Rocks, Koskimo and Humphrey Rock staff for all of their efforts preparing for audit. On a special note, this was a recertification audit for both Koskimo and Humphrey Rocks which were BAP certified during their previous cycles. Good job everyone!
twitter.com/MHCanada
6
facebook.com/MHCanada
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Henriette Alne (MHC Feed Manager) passes along Vancouver Canucks hockey tickets to Chief Tom Nelson of the Quatsino First Nation, on behalf of Marine Harvest’s feed supplier, Skretting. The tickets were gifted to the Nation by Skretting for an upcoming Christmas raffle.
bit.ly/MHCanada