Wharfside
October 2013
In this issue Leading the Blue Revolution: Improving public awareness about Marine Harvest salmon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 New webpage highlights Marine Harvest Canada’s certifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Congratulations to the Immigration Welcome Centre. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Site manager scores multiple wins in aquaculture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Fine feathers and friends. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 A Healthy Donation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Getting your safety message through . . . . . 4 Sterling Cup has its privileges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Tsolum River restoration paying off. . . . . . . . 5 Thank You North Island!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know? Because fish live in water and avoid the effects of gravity, they don’t require large bones to support themselves.
Trivia time! What fish bone is marked with age rings that helps determine a fish’s growth rate? Answer on Page 4
Comments about this Newsletter? Please email comments, articles and ideas to Ian Roberts, Communications Manager at ian.roberts@marineharvest.com
Leading the Blue Revolution: Improving public awareness about Marine Harvest salmon Is it really necessary to take time away from growing our fish to educate the public about fish farming? I mean, we can sell all the fish we grow so what’s the problem? By Clare Backman, Well, the public’s Director of Sustainable Programs understanding about salmon farming is shaped by what people hear about this business and people are hearing a lot of the wrong stuff. When a popular dramatic TV series like Breaking Bad includes an offhand comment about manipulating the colour of their meth-lab drugs in the same way that farmed salmon is “dyed to look Flamingo pink” it suggests that more education is needed after all! And why does the public seem to remember all the negative stuff they hear but the good seems to go unnoticed? As we’ve all heard “Bad news is already half way around the world before good news even gets its boots on.” This article is about how we talk to others about Marine Harvest salmon: maybe part of “Leading the Blue Revolution” means always having our boots on. First and foremost be ready to explain that what we are doing is raising animals and we’re doing it very well: feeding them a
nutritious diet, providing a comfortable living environment and keeping them safe from disease, parasites and predators. Then consider that the fish we are nurturing will in turn nurture the health of millions of other people. Yes it’s a business and yes it’s a job but the end product of our labour is great tasting food that is famous for its health benefits. As North Americans include more of our salmon into their diets they will feel stronger, have more energy and their skin and hair will be more youthful looking. Can there be more? Yes there is more – they will also live longer! Next, let’s be clear about the wholesomeness of the food we are growing. Ten years ago a report was written that said farm-raised salmon had less nutrients than wild salmon. True or not, Marine Harvest charted a path forward to measure these nutrients to make sure that our salmon provide a healthy level of healthy omega 3 oils. Today, Marine Harvest salmon has the same or greater nutrients than wild-caught Pacific salmon. For decades experts have told us that salmon is a far more heart healthy protein choice than pork or beef. Finally, by raising salmon you are not only providing consumers with a healthy food choice and helping to conserve the diminishing wild salmon stocks; you are helping avoid a looming global crisis. Continued on page 2
New webpage highlights Marine Harvest Canada’s certifications It’s important for consumers to know more about what they are eating and how it is raised. Certification helps with this because it enables organizations to demonstrate conformance to a high standard through third-party audits. Examples are Marine Harvest Canada’s current Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) certification and our goal of achieving Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certification by 2020. Building on an ISO 14001 program that has been in place since 2002, Marine Harvest Canada first achieved the Global Aquaculture Alliance’s Best Aquaculture Practices Salmon Farms certification in
2012. Ongoing audits at our farms ensure a continuous supply of certified salmon to our customers. Marine Harvest Canada’s Port Hardy Processing Plant achieved certification to the BAP Seafood Processing Standard in July 2013. Combined with the BAP certification of our fish feed manufacturer, Skretting Canada, Marine Harvest Canada is proud to now supply BAP 3 star certified salmon. You can read more about Marine Harvest Canada’s certification progress here: http:// www.marineharvestcanada.com/products_ salmon_certification.php
Congratulations to the Immigration Welcome Centre Marine Harvest was pleased to award the Immigration Welcome Centre of Campbell River the Not-For-Profit Business of the Year award at the Campbell River Chamber of Commerce annual business awards event in September. The Immigration Welcome Centre is an important contributor to our community being such a welcoming one, and was one of many well deserved organizations nominated for the award. Rachel Blaney, Executive Director of the Immigration Welcome Centre receives the Not-For-Profit Business of the Year award from Vincent Erenst, Managing Director at Marine Harvest Canada.
Continued...
Leading the Blue Revolution: Improving public awareness about Marine Harvest salmon 2
Experts warn that there is a world food shortage coming and those who are engaged in growing and providing food are the MarineHarvestCanada.com
undisputed rock stars of our future. So be proud that you are part of the solution to this problem. Be damn proud!
Site manager scores multiple wins in aquaculture College’s Aquaculture Technician course. A practicum took him to the Midsummer Island site in May 2002, where he was hired on full time after completing his aquaculture education. Since joining Marine Harvest, Brett also worked on the Projects Crew and at Glacier Falls before landing at Swanson Island, where he’s been manager for three years.
Brett Stricker, Site Manager, with a 41 pound wild-caught Chinook salmon By Gina Forsyth
By his own admission, Brett Stricker, Manager of the Swanson Island site at the mouth of Knight Inlet in the Broughton Archipelago, “fell into aquaculture”. “I love the outdoors,” Brett said, adding that changing people’s outlook on the industry is a part of the job he particularly values. Brett’s early years were spent in the Metro Vancouver community of Burnaby and his family moved to Campbell River before he started school. Brett’s formative years
were spent pursuing a passion for hockey that led him to complete grades 11 and 12 at the College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, an hour from Regina. While at Notre Dame, Brett kept company with current NHL players Vincent Lecavalier, who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Rangers team member Brad Richards. Injuries prevented Brett from making further progress and after a year visiting Australia, he enrolled in North Island
What does Brett like most about his job? “I have a great staff and they make the hard work worthwhile. We take a huge amount of pride in what we do and are confident in it. There’s nothing better than changing people’s opinion about the industry when they see what we do and how we do it,” he said. Brett and fiancée Marjorie, who is a teacher, are looking forward to their Mexican destination wedding next March. They have two daughters, Taylor and Emily. “The family gets lots of beach time in the summer,” said Brett, who also fishes and plays golf as much as possible.
Fine feathers and friends Marine Harvest was again proud to be the title sponsor of the Ducks Unlimited Golf Classic held at the beautiful Crown Isle Resort. MHC’s winning streak was put to an end this year by the brilliance of a team that looked much too young to order drinks from the golf cart. MHC is proud to partner with Ducks Unlimited Canada by sharing resource information and investigating opportunities for wildlife habitat restoration work.
Ian Roberts, Joe Johnson, Fabian McCarty and Dave Guhl represented MHC at this year’s Ducks Unlimited Canada golf fundraiser MarineHarvestCanada.com
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Getting your safety message through By Joy Stowe, Brainsafe Master Facilitator
Your brain is processing approximately 33,000 bits of information every second. How does it decide what’s important to focus on? Is it possible that a potential hazard in your workplace might get missed because your attention torch beam is not focused on it? Do you
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Joyce Ellis Digital Photography
A Healthy Donation “On behalf of the Sayward Healthcare Clinic, we would like to thank Marine Harvest for your contribution at the Oscar Daze ball tournament in August, in Sayward. This will help so much in
remember the acronym DIPI from the “Be Aware” module?
the maintenance of our local health clinic.” Evalyn Hrybko, Director Sayward Community Health Society
•
Break the message into ‘bite size’ chunks and repeat to ensure a spot in the brain’s ‘working memory’
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Present the message as important on an individual level and keep saying why it’s important
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Use an unexpected, novel way to grab interest (maybe try the clown outfit)
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Give unexpected, personally meaningful rewards
Your brain focuses most of its attention on things that it considers connected to your survival: loud noises make you jump ( anger! Run!), pizza commercials grab your attention when you’re hungry ( mportant to find food), Dairy Queen sign on a hot summer day ( leasure of cold ice cream), dog dressed in clown outfit ( nteresting, unexpected sight).
D
p
So if the safety message you’re trying to get across to someone doesn’t have the potential for harm or pleasure, what can be done? Some suggestions are: •
Start off by saying why the message is important
MarineHarvestCanada.com
In BrainSafe we learned that we consciously pay attention to only 0.3% of incoming information, so when you’re talking safety, be aware of what the brains in your audience will focus on.
Answer: The otolith bone is located in a fish’s ear.
Phil and Mike going over the day’s work at Hardwicke Island salmon farm.
Sterling Cup has its privileges
Okisollo team enjoying dinner at Eagle Manor Fishing Lodge
Since 2000, the Sterling Cup has been awarded yearly to the site which achieved the lowest FCR. Though the criteria have changed (biological to economical feed conversion rate (eFCR)) during this span, one thing that has not changed is the pride bestowed upon the site manager and staff when presented the cup with their names engraved on it. This year, the cup was presented to John Ilett and his crew for their result (eFCR 1.227) achieved at Okisollo. As the cup was being handed to John, you could hear him say “it is a relief to finally get my name on this cup”. One can
understand the pride and relief experienced by the manager, since in the past 13 years there have only been two sites awarded the cup more than once. Looking into the future, there has never been more parody between areas as there will be in the coming years, resulting in greater opportunity for sites to get their name on the cup, and consequently reducing the odds of repeating. This was evident this year when two underdog sites posted excellent results (Raynor lowest bfcr 1.196, Phillips second lowest bFCR/eFCR (1.201/1.237)).
The production team has recognized the significance of winning the cup and has invested into enhancing “the Sterling Cup experience”. The winning team now receives official Sterling Cup hats, banner, and an overnight fishing charter at the beautiful Eagle Manor Fishing Lodge in Quatsino. This year, the Okisollo crew was treated to a crab, salmon, and prawn feast as well as other treats, followed by a very early morning fishing charter, where limitless coho salmon and very large lingcod filled the coolers. They lived like champs for a day chanting “Okisollooooo” long into the night. Though the experience is short lived, their names engraved on the cup will always be a reminder of what they accomplished and will notably be mentioned to fellow workers, friends, family members etc. etc. for years to come. Congratulations to Okisollo, 2013 Sterling Cup Champions.
Tsolum River restoration paying off The TRRS has decided that this fall, the odd year return (pink salmon return every 2 years in distinct family generations) will not need enhancing. In other words, no hatchery program this year for the first time since 1998. This is wonderful news and hopefully news that will be repeated in years to come. “The TRRS has always wanted to restore habitat and let fish repopulate themselves. We have enhanced pinks only due to the incredible amount of nutrients they bring back from the ocean once they have spawned. After so many years of poor fish runs in the Tsolum River these nutrients were badly needed,” says Jack Minard, Executive Director at TRRS. “After 14 years of this work and significantly MarineHarvestCanada.com
Photo credit: Charles Brandt
A healthy return of pink salmon this year is rewarding years of hard work by the Tsolum River Restoration Society (TRRS). Community outreach, restoration projects, research, water quality improvements and stakeholder partnerships have all helped improve the conditions in the river and the fish are responding. They still need to re-establish river bed stability and continue wetland and rearing habitat restorations but this year’s run is very encouraging as the TRRS continues to work towards a “A Healthy, Diverse and Productive Tsolum River”. Pink salmon returns are so encouraging, in fact, that this fall they are prepared to let nature take its course.
Pink salmon battles upstream in the Tsolum River.
reducing copper pollution in 2009 the TRRS is beginning to realize our goal of getting out of the hatchery business altogether and letting wild fish repopulate themselves. This is the best run since 1958!” Marine Harvest Canada is a proud annual supporter of the TRRS. 5
Thank You North Island! This summer’s salmon barbeque raised almost $30,000 for Vancouver Island charities. Thousands of North Islanders helped make this happen by purchasing a salmon burger, and for that we thank you very much. Applications will be open in February as we prepare for the 2014 summer season.
SPCA Paws for a Cause
Y.A.N.A. & St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation
Port Hardy Rotary
BC Firefighters Burn Fund
Done! Done! Relay for Life, Canadian Cancer Society Done! CR Head Injury Support Society Done! Beaver Lodge Lands Trust Committee Done! Relay for Life, Canadian Cancer Society Done! Comox Valley Kennel Club Done! Campbell River Twinning Society Done! CR and North Island Transition Society Done! Campbell River Dragon Boat Society Done! BC Professional Firefighters Burn Fund Done! Campbell River Salmon Kings Done! Port Hardy Rotary / Hospital Foundation Done! Port McNeill Orca Fest / Harvest Food BankDone! Variety, the Children’s Charity Done! Volunteer Campbell River Done! SPCA Paws for a Cause Done! Black Creek Community Association Done! Greenways Land Trust Done! St Joseph’s Hospital Foundation / Y.A.N.A.
30-Mar-13
Vanier Centre, Courtenay
Rotary Club of Strathcona Sunrise
28-Apr-13
Marine Park, Comox
25-May-13
PHSS, Port Hardy
6-8pm
29-May-13
Spirit Square, Campbell River
4-6pm
Courtenay Lawn Bowling Club
twitter.com/MHCanada
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Done!
facebook.com/MHCanada
MarineHarvestCanada.com
3-4pm 11am-5pm
1-Jun-13
North Island College, CR
8-Jun-13
Vanier School, Courtenay
11am-1pm
9-Jun-13
Pacific Playgrounds, Black Creek
15-Jun-13
Spirit Square, CR
23-Jun-13
Nunns Creek Park, CR
4:30-7:30pm
29-Jun-13
Dick Murphy Park, CR
12-1:30pm
1-Jul-13
Robert Ostler Park, CR
6-Jul-13
Centennial Pool, CR
4pm 5-7pm 12-2pm
1-3pm 5:30-8pm
7-Aug-13
Storries Beach, Port Hardy
4-8pm
17-Aug-13
Port McNeill
12-4pm
24-Aug-13
Tyee Chevrolet, CR
7-Sep-13
Spirit Square, CR
8-Sep-13
Nunns Creek Park, CR
13-Sep-13
Black Creek
21-Sep-13
Spirit Square, CR
28-Sep-13
Bill Moore Park, Courtenay
bit.ly/MHCanada
12-4pm 11:30-2pm 12-2pm 6-8pm 11:30am-1:30pm 12-2pm