Wharfside February 2017
In this issue Where stuff comes from. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Mainlander makes move to aquaculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Marine Harvest leadership reflects on an excellent year and bright future. . . . . . . . 4 Brainsafe maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 First family scholarships awarded to four students. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Big Tree Creek turns on the tap. . . . . . . . . . . 5 Helping out the home. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know? An adult kangaroo can jump over 30 feet in one bound. A kelp perch picks a sea louse from a salmon
Trivia time! What country was the first to introduce paper money? Answer on Page 4
Comments about this Newsletter? Please email comments, articles and ideas to Ian Roberts, Director of Public Affairs, at ian.roberts@marineharvest.com
Perch: a cleaner fish for B.C.’s farm raised salmon Perch have the potential to become cleaner fish to remove sea lice from salmon farmed in British Columbia. Local perch species have been shown to have a promising appetite for sea lice in 2016 trials carried out at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research facility in West Vancouver.
Marine Harvest Canada supplied juvenile Atlantic salmon while the Vancouver Aquarium provided four species of local perch: kelp, pile, striped and shiner perch, for initial trials, and then focused on the kelp and pile perch which appeared to have the best appetite for the lice. Research leader Dr. Shannon Balfry is excited about the initial results and the potential application for the aquaculture industry. “In our latest trial, we had 40 salmon infected with a total 370 adult lice, an average of nine per salmon. We introduced Continued on page 2
Something to think about: where stuff comes from By Ian Roberts Director of Public Affairs
In a recent interview for a local paper, Port Hardy small business owner Dale Dorward remarked “…fish farms, the logging industry, the fishing industry. That’s the stuff that’s going on continuously up here. These people are the backbone around here.” Every now and then we need to be reminded about our Province’s producing sector because 70 percent of British Columbians live in the lower mainland and on southern Vancouver
Island – areas often isolated from industries that make “stuff ” or that extract the stuff that makes stuff. Stuff like wood products, oil and gas, and minerals – that in turn produce houses, cars, roads, and computers. Many, many North Islanders work in industries that provide the primary materials we use and grow the primary foods we consume.
British Columbian’s haven’t had the opportunity to see a salmon farm or talk to a salmon farmer, and many of those same residents would be unaware that BC farm-raised salmon is the Province’s largest agriculture export. It’s an important export that is bringing new money back into our economy, and supporting families who live outside the core populous.
The disconnect between producer and consumer is very evident in our business of salmon aquaculture. Most
Perch: a cleaner fish for B.C.’s farm raised salmon Continued from page 1
four little kelp perch who ate 364 lice in 11 days. We were feeding the perch chopped krill as well as feeding the salmon,” Dr. Balfry says. From the very first days of trials, her team was confident that perch were as effective at cleaning as Atlantic species such as wrasse and lumpfish. They’ve taken video of the perch eating the lice, carried out post mortems to confirm sea lice present in bellies and counted exoskeletons in feces. “They are quite shy and start by hiding in the kelp, but within hours of being held together in the lab tanks, the perch would 2
immediately start to circle the salmon and check it out. We saw the salmon tilting to one side so the perch can better access the lice. We now have so much evidence that they are carrying out the role of cleaner fish.” Dr. Balfry will continue the research at the BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences this year, with support from the BCSFA. “The ability to use cleaner fish as biological controls to reduce sea life infestations in farmed Atlantic salmon would have such a widespread positive impact on the industry,” Dr. Balfry says.
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“It would be an environmentally friendly solution, and an extremely valuable tool for B.C. salmon farmers to use to manage sea lice loads.” This research is the first of its kind on the west coast. Perch were observed carrying out cleaner behaviour in the Pacific Ocean in the 1970s however research was not pursued until Marine Harvest Canada asked Dr. Balfry to find local alternatives for the cleaner fish used in Norway and Scotland.
Mainlander makes move to aquaculture to team mates who worked in the company, he applied for an entry level position as a sea site technician. “I wanted to try something new so I put in a resume and a few months later I started at farm sites in the Port Hardy region.” Although Alex didn’t bring aquaculture experience to Marine Harvest, transferable skills such as problem solving, working well with others and a strong work ethic helped smooth his way into a new industry. Six months ago he was promoted to Assistant Manager at Sargeaunt’s Pass farm in the Broughton operating area.
Alex Romano with his niece and nephew Anna and Brady Sanderson. By Gina Forsyth
It was an invitation from family to live in Campbell River that brought Sargeaunt’s Pass Assistant Manager Alex Romano to Vancouver Island, and playing soccer that led him to work for Marine Harvest. When Alex arrived in town, he joined the Marine Harvest soccer team. After talking
His management responsibilities include record keeping, training, assigning daily tasks and rotating staff from job to job to ensure each person on the site is comfortable doing the full range of necessary work. He works closely with Site Manager Brad Marsili to ensure they’re growing the best possible fish. Alex was born and raised in North Delta and graduated from high school in 2000. He had worked in the automotive and financial services industry before joining Marine
Harvest in April 2012. “It was a big change for me but I fell in love with the area,” says Alex. “I love being outside. Even on your worst day, there’s still wildlife going by,” he adds. Last fall, Alex’s older sister followed the family trend, moving to Campbell River with a set of five year old twins. “My brother-in-law is still working on the mainland but is currently searching for work on the island and is travelling back and forth on the weekends,” he says. “We have just finished renovations on my rental townhouse and they are moving into it until they find a place to buy in town.” “The twins are taking up a lot of my time now but I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love having kids in my life and I am excited to be able to show them the things that made me fall in love with Campbell River,” he says. Alex’s hobbies include quadding, playing indoor and outdoor soccer, and camping.
Join Us! Marine Harvest is proud to be a title sponsor for the Ducks Unlimited Banquet in Port Hardy February 25th. Need tickets? Get ‘em at http://www. ducks.ca/events.
The processing season in Klemtu started with plenty of smiles in January. Ruth Robinson and Clifford Brown cut a celebratory cake baked by Justin Fecteau after he finished his night shift!
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Marine Harvest leadership reflects on an excellent year and bright future Marine Harvest Canada held a conference for its managers at the end of January at the Maritime Heritage Centre in Campbell River. The annual event is a chance for leaders from all divisions to share and discuss news.
MHC Managing Director Vincent Erenst with Marit Solberg
Marit Solberg, Marine Harvest’s Chief Operating Officer Farming for Canada, Ireland, Scotland and Faroe Islands, attended for the first time.
The keynote speaker was Major-General Lewis McKenzie who shared leadership lessons from his time serving in the Canadian Forces and peacekeeping with the United Nations. About 90 employees took part in the conference, and enjoyed an evening reception with their partners, to celebrate Marine Harvest Canada’s many achievements in 2016.
Brainsafe maintenance BE AWARE
Marine Harvest Canada employees who have completed the Brainsafe workshop since it began in 2012 are now offered a one-day refresher which will serve as a reminder and challenge employees to implement the key aspects that drive our safety culture.
How our brain works. •
Brain facts, how our attention works and how to maximize our attention span.
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Be aware of internal states such as fatigue, distractions and stress and manage them with the Eye-Check process.
The Brainsafe Maintenance course will address these significant points:
BE RESPONSIBLE
BE SAFE
The currency of safety. •
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Understanding our safety culture model and using it to keep yourself and your coworkers safe.
BE VOCAL
Responsibility for our safety. •
How our green attitude effects behavior and influences results.
•
Reframing our red attitudes to achieve desirable results.
Influencing others. •
Speaking up and examining a model that helps discuss, question and receive safety concerns.
With this new maintenance course, Marine Harvest Canada can continue to embrace a positive safety culture while providing tools and approaches that will remind and aid our workers to reach our ultimate goal of becoming a zero injury company.
MarineHarvest.ca Answer: China
By Dan Pattison, Health and Safety Coordinator
First family scholarships awarded to four students MHC supported another four students with scholarships in 2017, thanks to the new Marine Harvest Family Scholarship. Madison Mayhew, Ayden GarlinskiGonsky, Madison Ashcroft and Mykah Stonley will all receive $1000 towards their post-secondary studies. Each one of
them had to demonstrate passion for their planned area of study. For more information on Marine Harvest’s bursaries and scholarships, please visit marineharvest.ca/people/scholarshipaward--bursary-information/
<< Mykah Stonley, one of four Marine Harvest Family Scholarship recipients
Completion of new recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) at Marine Harvest freshwater facilities continues at good pace, despite challenging winter conditions for construction crews.
Big Tree Creek turns on the tap
In late January, Big Tree Creek saw its first fish safely enter new six metre systems. Offering an additional 460 metres of rearing space, site staff are suitably impressed with the quality of the craftsmanship. “The systems look excellent, and fish entry was seamless,” says Big Tree Creek Manager Chris McNeill. Chris notes that each system includes the very latest RAS technologies including automated oxygen control, 100 percent ozonation and ultraviolet sterilization. The company’s designs are mechanically identical to its other RAS systems at other locations, thus requiring less parts in inventory, and maintenance staff can quickly and effectively troubleshoot. MarineHarvest.ca
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Can we help? Since 2011, the Marine Harvest Canada salmon barbeque has cooked up $123,000 of support for local charities from the Comox Valley to Port Hardy. If your group is interested in applying for the Marine Harvest Canada salmon barbeque for the 2017 summer season, please see our guidelines and apply at www.MarineHarvest.ca.
Hurry, deadline is March 3rd!
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Helping out the home MHC biologist Greg Gibson was happy to deliver a donation to the Glacier View Lodge executive director Michael Aikins (right) in January, helping the retirement home to reach the half-way mark for replacing furniture in its dining and living room. It is the second year Marine Harvest Canada has contributed to the lodge.
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