Wharfside March 2017
In this issue Fake seafood news. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Diplomat visit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 East Coast native longed for British Columbia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Top quartile for employee effectiveness. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Marine Harvest completes the purchase of farming assets on the East Coast of Canada. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Keep your winter safety kit in the car year-round. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Industry Spotlight. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Ducks Unlimited Banquet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know? In 2006-2008, MHC transplanted 1,950 m2 of eelgrass that helps clean water and provide fish habitat.
Trivia time! By 2013, how much had 1,950 m2 of eelgrass recolonized? 5,063 m2, 9,304 m2 or 2,676 m2? 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
Marine Harvest to start value-added production in British Columbia Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) has begun construction of a value-added processing facility that will provide more healthy and convenient salmon products to its customers.
This value-added processing facility will be the third plant operated by MHC in the province – complementing the company’s two primary plants located in Port Hardy and Klemtu.
Located in South Surrey, British Columbia, the plant is expected to start operations in July 2017, process approximately 12,000 tonnes of salmon annually, and serve customers in Western Canada and North West USA.
B.C. Minister of Agriculture, Norm Letnick, added that “The demand for sustainable B.C. salmon is creating new opportunities in our economy and our communities, and I’m proud to welcome Marine Harvest’s announcement about their new investment and new jobs in Surrey. The B.C. agrifoods sector grew by 6,100 jobs last year, and as the B.C. government continues to work with B.C. producers to build markets for BC products, I look forward to hearing about more and more British Columbians beginning a career in our agrifoods sector.”
“We see an increasing demand in the North American market for healthy, tasty and convenient food,” said Vincent Erenst, Managing Director at MHC. “With the new plant we can provide customers with delicious and easy-to-prepare meal options made from high quality and fresh salmon.”
Something to think about: fake seafood news By Ian Roberts Director of Public Affairs
“Falsehood flies, and the Truth comes limping after it.” – Jonathon Swift, The Examiner, 1710. And this quote was written almost 300 years prior to the reality of the World Wide Web. I feel that B.C. salmon farmers have been very responsive to fair criticism of our business, but when blatant fake news quickly spreads about the internet, it is very concerning. In the seafood business, many fraudulent headlines
have been published in recent years that have cast doubt in consumer confidence. “Eating tilapia is worse than eating bacon” and “Research suggests canned tuna might not be safe to eat” are two recent examples that have made rounds about the internet. While tempting as “clickbait”, the actual content of both stories provides zero facts to support each title’s thesis. In 2013, I had to contact TV host Dr. Oz to request correction to his website that claimed “Farm-raised salmon is more likely to contain harmful toxins than wild salmon”. Dr. Oz’s research team fumbled
for two years attempting to find science to support this claim, finally failing to do so. In 2015, without apology, Dr. Oz removed the webpage. As Drew Cherry at Intrafish Media states “If you write a headline, you better deliver on your promise.” An obvious concern is that fake seafood news may deter people from eating a healthy and affordable protein – and seafood is something that health officials are asking we eat more of. Something to think about the next time you’re baited to click.
Diplomat visit Canada’s Ambassador to Norway, Artur Wilczynski, visited Campbell River last month and travelled by boat to MHC’s Phillips Arm salmon farm. Ambassador Wilczynski also met the Campbell River Mayor Andy Adams, industry representatives, and indigenous groups to talk about the future of Canadian aquaculture. (l-r) Paul Pattison, MHC Site Manager; Sharon DeDominicis, MHC Director of Regulatory Compliance & Certification; Artur Wilcynski, Canada’s Ambassador to Norway; Jim Anholt, B.C. Ministry of International Trade; Danbi Cho, Research Associate, Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business; Christian Hansen, Director, Global Affairs Canada; Renato Caldart, Senior Trade Commissioner, Embassy of Canada (Norway) 2
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East Coast native longed for British Columbia By Gina Forsyth
The outdoors has always been a big part of Sam Hartley’s life. She has many positive memories of time spent outside with her dad. “There’s peacefulness about sleeping in a tent that can’t be beat,” Sam says. The Campbell River resident is an avid hiker, beachcomber and camper and is currently keeping her eyes open for a good deal on a canoe or kayak. The former Frederictonian fell in love with the idea of working in B.C. while studying aquaculture at New Brunswick Community College (NBCC).
made her realize how much she wanted to work on the ocean. She completed her studies then started as a sea site technician with Marine Harvest in July 2015 in the Broughton area. She has moved between three sites in the region: Glacier Falls, Upper Retreat and her present site Wicklow Point. “Whether I’m at home or at work, I can’t get enough of the ocean,” says Sam. Her duties include feeding fish, net washing, and environmental monitoring such as checking water quality and oxygen levels. “I’m where I’m supposed to be,” says Sam.
The three practicums she did at school
Top quartile for employee effectiveness after comparing the results of a 2016 workforce survey against the KornFerry Hay employee effectiveness global benchmark rankings. Human Resources Director Dean Dobrinsky says the results were the culmination of significant effort. In 2012, the company committed to creating systems and structures to build employee capability and leadership capacity and to create a business culture where safety is a top priority. Marine Harvest Canada has been recognized by a preeminent global people and organizational advisory firm as a top quartile company for employee effectiveness. This achievement was realized
“Safety is a key priority for Marine Harvest and we have been fully invested in an employee engagement process called Brainsafe for several years. This commitment to a safe working environment MarineHarvest.ca
has dramatically reduced the number of employee injuries at our workplaces. As a result of these efforts and through engaging our workforce, we have achieved OSSE Certification which is the standard for safety excellence in B.C.”
Quick facts about our workforce: 530 full-time employees 130 new hires in 2016 Median age of 38 48% millennials 98% homegrown management 13% annual turnover
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Marine Harvest completes the purchase of farming assets on the East Coast of Canada Marine Harvest is pleased to announce that it has been nominated by the Receiver of all the assets owned by the Gray Aqua Group of Companies (“the Company”), to purchase the Company. The acquisition price on a cash and debt free basis is CAD 15 million. The Company is based on the East Coast of Canada and is currently in receivership. The acquisition is important from a strategic point of view, as it further broadens Marine Harvest’s global farming footprint in a country where it is already
present on the West Coast. The market for salmon in North-East America continues to develop very favourably, and the acquisition represents as such a compelling value proposition. The assets purchased include one hatchery in New Brunswick, two farming licenses in New Brunswick, seven farming licenses in Newfoundland, and one processing plant in Newfoundland. Currently no fish has been stocked in the above mentioned licenses. In addition, the Company has applied for 17
farming licenses in Newfoundland which are yet to be approved. Marine Harvest is looking forward to engage with the relevant authorities to secure additional farming locations as well as to establish new jobs in the local communities. Marine Harvest will shortly start to detail a production plan and investment framework for the East Coast of Canada, including building an organisation capable to produce 15,000-20,000 tonnes gutted weight equivalent of salmon per annum.
Keep your winter safety kit in the car year-round
Well, that sure was one heck of a winter wasn’t it?! In the 10-plus years I’ve lived on the North Island that is by far the most snow I’ve seen. A long with the snow came some pretty treacherous driving conditions. Living in Sayward, my wife and I saw a lot of accidents on the highway this winter. Most were probably avoidable, some weren’t. After seeing the first snowfall hit, I thought maybe it would be a good idea to throw together a bit of a safety kit for our truck. After the second snowfall
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Protein bars
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Change of clothes
I typically go overboard when it comes to being prepared. Those of you who know me would agree I’m that “waiting for the zombie apocalypse, prepper guy”.
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Flashlight
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Blanket
It certainly isn’t necessary for folks to “Prep like ol’ Fletch”, but it is a grand idea to have some basics. Here are a few items I would suggest get kept in your vehicle year round: •
Battery operated flares
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High visibility vest
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2 person first aid kit
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2 litres of water
If for any reason you’re stuck overnight, you have food and water and dry clothes. If you’re replacing a flat tire, flares and high visibility vests are a good way to notify other drivers that you’re there. On winding corners flares can be set up so others are warned before they come around the bend and they have time to slow down. The difference between an emergency and a situation is how well prepared you are!
MarineHarvest.ca Answer: 9,304 m2
By Brainsafe facilitator Kristian Fletcher
hit, I actually went and purchased a few items.
Quatsino First Nation opens new building for children and elders Marine Harvest is proud to be a major contributor to the newly built Ax sila xa Gingananam Daycare / Elders Building at Quatsino. Port Hardy Processing Plant employees Kathy Baker, Julio Osorio and Janet Parsons attended the ribbon cutting celebration during the grand opening last month, which also included speeches and traditional dances by children and
Quatsino First Nation community members at the Quattishe Hall. There are currently 18 children enrolled at the day care which operates Monday to Friday during school hours. The Elders building is currently catering for about a dozen seniors who meet and may eat breakfast and lunches at the facility.
The Black Press Extreme Career Fair in Courtenay was a success despite a snowstorm hitting Comox Valley and Campbell River the day of the event. Pictured here at the MHC booth are Ian Roberts, Lindsey Rutledge and Shylo Loock. They were kept busy all day with lots of inquiries about careers in aquaculture and its service industries.
MarineHarvest.ca
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Industry Spotlight Check out Pentair Aquatic Eco-Systems’ latest video features spotlighting technology used at MH Canada facilities! https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=6YrFz0_tQOo and https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Qs2BJGJfCK8
Ducks Unlimited Banquet Marine Harvest was pleased to be the title sponsor of the Ducks Unlimited North Island Banquet that took place in Port Hardy last month. Marine Harvest and Ducks Unlimited Canada signed a memorandum of understanding in 2013 that sees the parties work together to increase capacity for wetland restoration. MHC staff attended the latest fundraiser that included (l-r) Josh Hope, Nina Layton, Al Cyr, and Colleen Cyr.
twitter.com/MHCanada
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facebook.com/MHCanada
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bit.ly/MHCanada