Wharfside
May 2017
The original recyclers
In this issue Something to think about: Tragedy of the Commons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Multi-million dollar deal involves local company. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Love of aquaculture is a family affair. . . . . . 3 Observing a fish health inspection. . . . . . . . 4 Domestic sales jump in 2016 for MHC. . . . 4 Culinary Olympics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ask a Big Tree Creek builder. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Day of Mourning. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Volunteers wanted!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
BC VOTES MAY 9th Trivia time! What musical instrument does WWF wrestler Hulk Hogan play? 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
Polishing technology at West Coast Reduction
When showing visitors a Marine Harvest salmon farm, one question often comes up: “What do you do with the fish parts that aren’t eaten?” That’s a great question and one that has a great answer. The fish waste goes to West Coast Reduction Ltd. at the Port of Metro Vancouver. West Coast Reduction Ltd. is Western Canada’s largest independent rendering facility, providing a modern take on the ancient tradition of turning food waste into useful products. While today’s technology may be new, the art of turning animal fats into soaps and candles dates back thousands of years. “Rendering is the original recycling,” says Doug Davidson, Operations Manager at the Vancouver plant. “Simply put, it’s the chemical-free process of breaking down animal by-products into fats and proteins.” Rendering involves heat and mechanical energy to remove the water and to create stable proteins and oils. For fish, this is a
four-step process: (1) cooking and sterilizing, (2) drying, (3) separation and polishing of oils and meals (centrifuging), and (4) milling finished goods to meet feed quality standards. Each year, West Coast Reduction recycles about 250,000 tonnes of food waste into valuable fat (oil) and protein (meal powder) products that are utilized in pet and livestock feeds, biofuels, cosmetics, fertilizers, lubricants, soaps and detergents. The Vancouver plant accepts raw materials from cattle, pig, sheep, chicken, turkey, and also used cooking oil – significantly reducing the strain on western Canada’s landfills and sewer systems. Fish and seafood waste has traditionally been a small part of West Coast Reduction’s Continued on page 3
Something to think about: Tragedy of the Commons By Ian Roberts Director of Public Affairs
What would you rather use: a public or a private toilet? Sorry for the crude analogy, but it certainly makes you think about how people generally care for a shared public space, as compared to private property. Tragedy of the commons has described how shared resources can be overwhelmed by demand. This is true for all natural resources including wild
food. Think about how the buffalo really came to appreciate the domesticated cow. One of the main reasons I was drawn to aquaculture 30 years ago was to be a part of the same evolution that we’ve seen take place on land that has saved many species from extinction. That is, farming. Our oceans are now hunted to maximum yield, so logically we farm seafood to supply increasing demand. And like farming on land, aquaculture
privatizes the crop, which incentivizes the farmer/owner to take good care of the resource. After all, the farmer has a vested interest in ensuring his or her crop, and the natural resources supporting it, are responsibly managed. The farmer’s livelihood depends on it. Tragedy of the commons has been averted in many terrestrial areas because of farming. It is my hope that growth in aquaculture will help conserve what wild fish remain in our oceans and lakes.
Multi-million dollar deal involves local company Vancouver Island and Danish companies have been awarded a threeyear deal to build Marine Harvest Canada’s new pen systems. The construction of 87, 120-metrediameter high-density polyethylene circular fish pens, branded HD 500 Extreme, was awarded to Poseidon Ocean Systems dealing on behalf of manufacturer Hvalpsund Net.
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Poseidon Ocean Systems President Matt Clarke says the new pens are wide, stable, well-suited to dual predator nets and don’t use polystyrene foam for flotation, which he calls “a nice environmental benefit”. Read more at marineharvest.ca.
Want to see the BC Lions play at BC Place this season? Sit in comfy Club seats? Meet the head coach? If you’re an employee of Marine Harvest Canada and interested, then contact Ian Roberts (Director of Public Affairs) for details.
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Love of aquaculture is a family affair some time working for Bailey’s Plastic Factory in Campbell River building salmon cage pieces.
worked out of Port Hardy at various sites until he moved into his current position of North Island Operations Manager.
“My transferable skills, especially managing people, came in handy and I haven’t looked back since. I love being on the water, it can be challenging with the weather at times but it can’t be beat.”
Jonas Fyfe By Gina Forsyth
The brothers Fyfe – Jonas and younger brother Tanner – are getting ready to celebrate seven years with Marine Harvest later this year. Jonas is the Assistant Manager at Bell Island, near Port Hardy. “I’m running a crew of three right now and it’s my job to ensure they’re properly trained in standard operating procedures so there aren’t any injuries. I also plan everybody’s work day,” Jonas says.
Jonas Fyfe lives in Campbell River with his wife, a lab technician at the hospital. He’s a huge baseball fan, both playing and watching, and he will travel to Toronto in May to watch the Blue Jays. Hard rock concerts also lure him away from home, he recently saw Swedish heavy metal group In Flames. Tanner, four years younger, started his career with Marine Harvest two months before his big brother.
Jonas graduated from Carihi in 2006 and began the draftsman program at North Island College. He soon learned it wasn’t for him and instead got a job at the Real Canadian Superstore.
He graduated from Timberline in 2010 and set off for Haida Gwaii where he was a fishing guide and dock staff. A friend told him about Marine Harvest and the idea of being on the water appealed to him. “Once you’re out there, you’re hooked,” he says, adding that he appreciates that the work with Marine Harvest is consistent and full time.
“I was managing a department by the time I was nineteen,” he says. Jonas also spent
Tanner began as a farm technician at Bickley Bay in the Campbell River area. He
The original recyclers
into valuable oils and proteins. Marine Harvest provides West Coast Reduction with 4,000 to 5,000 tonnes annually, which is about half of West Coast Reduction’s annual supply of salmon material.
Continued from page 1
business, relying on raw products from the variable wild-commercial catch. But since aquaculture began in British Columbia some 30 years ago, fish farms and processing plants now supply consistent fresh raw product that is quickly rendered
“It’s a very efficient process,” adds Doug. “We are able to utilize over 99 per cent of MarineHarvest.ca
Hailey Allen, Sophia Fyfe and Tanner Fyfe
“I’m not tied to one site,” Tanner explains, adding that he’s responsible for assisting with building and fallowing sites as well as harvesting, installing diffusers, hoses and other equipment to fight plankton blooms. He helped implement the Gold Standard Project to ensure each site was upgraded to new plankton mitigation systems with three air compressors. Like his brother, Tanner has settled down in Campbell River. He has a six month old daughter, Sophia, and when he gets free time he enjoys quadding.
the materials we receive, which are recycled into feed ingredients and downstream consumer products we use in our homes every day.” You can learn more about the original recyclers at http://www.wcrl.com/videos/. 3
Observing a fish health inspection Representatives from the We Wai Kai (Cape Mudge) and Wei Wai Kum (Campbell River) Nations visited Hardwicke Island in April to observe a routine fish health inspection. A-Tlegay fisheries biologist Jim Meldrum and technicians Shane Pollard and Brent Smith watched Marine Harvest’s veterinarian, Dr. Diane Morrison, classify mortality and biologist Brad Boyce perform sea lice counts. Diane and Brad explained how the regular inspections by Marine Harvest’s fish health team complement the daily monitoring by farm staff. They also discussed the random governmental fish health inspections which help maintain confidence in the in-house fish health reporting systems.
Shane Pollard and Jim Meldrum look on as Brad Boyce searches for sea lice
Domestic sales jump in 2016 for MHC Marine Harvest Canada sold 10 per cent more of its salmon to Canadians last year.
are buying our premium fresh product before it is exported,” Ken says.
MHC Sales Director Ken Taylor says there was high demand across both US and Canadian markets all year. Asian countries also purchased an increasing amount of fish from B.C. last year, Ken says.
The U.S. has always been the largest market for salmon grown in British Columbia, but now Canadian buyers take almost a third of the salmon processed at the Port Hardy and Klemtu plants.
“We saw a 10 per cent jump in domestic sales last year, which is fantastic. Canadians are eating a lot of salmon and
MarineHarvest.ca Answer: Bass guitar
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Of the total Canadian sales for 2016, 41 per cent went to distributors in Ontario and 37 per cent was sold in British Columbia.
Ask a Big Tree Creek builder John Rancier, from Campbell River, answered five quick questions during his lunch break at Big Tree Creek hatchery (BTC). John is employed by Derk Enterprises on Marine Harvest’s $40 million recirculating aquaculture systems expansion project.
And the worst thing about building at BTC? The early mornings.
What is the best thing about working at BTC? The scenery and the wildlife.
What do you think about salmon aquaculture? It is great for the economy.
Have you ever built a fish hatchery before? No. The closest thing that I’ve built is concrete high-rises. Ever worked in Sayward before? Yes I’ve worked at the log sort at Kelsey Bay.
Culinary Olympics Vancouver Island University culinary arts students competed to create a four-course meal using salmon provided by Marine Harvest. The teams of three were challenged with one hour to prepare the first course (soup) and 15 minutes between the following three courses.
Marine Harvest’s Public Affairs Director Ian Roberts gladly volunteered to be on the tasting panel, however the judging was left to the expertise of retired chefs and trained instructors. Program director Debbie Shore with the judging panel >
Day of Mourning By Health and Safety Manager Blaine Tremblay
On April 28, we marked Day of Mourning for those who have lost their lives to work-related incidents or occupational disease. The most recent statistics from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) tell us that in 2015, 852 workplace deaths were recorded in Canada. Among those dead
were four young workers aged fifteen to nineteen years; and another eleven workers aged twenty to twenty-four years. What these numbers don’t show is just how many people are directly affected by these workplace tragedies. Each worker death impacts the loved ones, families, friends and coworkers they
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leave behind, changing all of their lives forever. At Marine Harvest Canada, we renewed our commitment to the promotion of healthy and safe workplaces.
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Volunteers wanted! Support our charitable barbecues in May….or even better, volunteer to help! You get to serve our salmon, fundraise for great causes and promote healthy eating. See the full schedule at marineharvest.ca. Volunteers should email cori.wheeler@ marineharvest.com to sign up to an event.
Courtenay ReStore general manager Ash Walker at Habitat for Humanity’s Earth Day festival Charity
Location
Serving Time
The John Howard Society of North Island Foundry Campbell River
Date 5-May-17
Campbell River - Spirit Square
Lunch
Campbell River Youth Soccer Association (CRYSA) Annual Mini World Cup Soccer Jamboree
13-May-17
Campbell River - Robron Turf Field
Lunch
Georgia Park Elementary School Parent Advisory Committee (PAC) Spring Fun Fair
17-May-17
Campbell River - Georgia Park Elementary School (678 Hudson Road)
Dinner
Bikers Against Child Abuse (BACA) Mid Vancouver Island Chapter 100 Mile Ride
20-May-17
Nanaimo - Maffeo Sutton Park
Dinner
Canadian Cancer Society “Relay for Life - Port Hardy”
27-May-17
Port Hardy - 9350 Granville St.
Dinner
Marine Harvest is pleased to provide employees FREE passes to Saratoga Speedway.
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If interested, please contact Margot Griffin at Margot. Griffin@marineharvest.com
facebook.com/MHCanada MarineHarvest.ca
MARINE HARVEST PRESENTS
ss a P o t h s Cra oat Racing B on August 19th!!
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