Wharfside
October 2017
B.C. farm-raised salmon raises its sustainability ranking
In this issue Something to think about: some pictures require a thousand words. . . . . . . . 2 We’re looking for a Customer Service Representative to join us. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 From one island to another, hatchery tech is content. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Calling all babies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Shift into winter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Thanks Port Hardy!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fly fishing course at Campbell River school. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Best year yet for charity BBQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Salmon stars at community events. . . . . . . . 6 Seafood West. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did You Know? Bananas are naturally slightly radioactive.
Trivia time! What two Canucks share the club record for 10 hat tricks? 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
On September 18, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program announced its updated recommendation of British Columbia’s farm-raised salmon, which upgrades the region’s Atlantic salmon to a “good alternative”. “We are pleased that Monterey Bay Aquarium’s seafood guide has updated its recommendations,” says Ken Taylor, Marine Harvest Canada’s Sales Director. “Our customers want third-party assurance that they are buying responsibly raised salmon. This announcement in addition to our continued efforts to certify to world-leading seafood standards will give customers increased confidence when buying Marine Harvest salmon.”
Earlier this year, Seafood Watch recommended all farm-raised salmon certified to the Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) standard as a “good alternative”. Marine Harvest Canada is now providing customers with a consistent supply of ASC certified salmon. This is the second endorsement of the company’s salmon from a California seafood advisory program. In 2013, The Aquarium of the Pacific’s Seafood for the Future conservation initiative recognized Marine Harvest Canada as a Producer Partner for its commitment to farming responsibly. To view the full salmon recommendation, visit seafoodwatch.org
Something to think about: some pictures require a thousand words Ian Roberts, Director of Public Affairs, Marine Harvest Canada
Recently, activists entered numerous salmon farms in B.C. to capture hundreds of hours of underwater video of farm-raised salmon. They then selected some images of the worst looking fish that tend to swim close the side of the net pen – ignoring the other 59,990 fish swimming in the middle. We understand this is what groups like Sea Shepherd do – exaggerate events to support their “don’t eat seafood” agenda. However, large populations of any species have individuals that are abnormal, injured, or have stunted growth, and the protection of a farm enables these individuals to more
easily survive than in the wild. Physical appearance isn’t always a representation of overall health and health checks are done on a regular basis at the farm. Simply put, these carefully selected images do not represent the general population, nor the fish we supply to market. But it makes a great photo for a news story. Back in 2001 a photo of a juvenile wild pink salmon in the Broughton Archipelago region of B.C. appeared in the news – with three adult sea lice attached to its body. Many people had not seen a small fish with sea lice before… because no
one had taken a photo of it before. It wasn’t new to animal biology – sea lice have been on marine fish of all sizes for millennia. After ten years of research since 2001 we now know how uncommon that example is. Over 82,000 juvenile pink salmon have been surveyed (2003-2012) and only 14 have been found with three or more adult sea lice. Ninety percent of the salmon sampled had no sea lice at all. A picture is worth a thousand words. This is true. But it’s also true that it can take a thousand words to provide context to a single image. To see the photos and sources, see the full report on our blog.
Marine Harvest’s Secondary Processing Plant in Surrey, British Columbia, is opening in October. The plant will process about 12,000 tonnes of salmon annually, providing more healthy and convenient salmon options to customers in the North West.
We’re looking for a Customer Service Representative to join us – if interested, see this job posting and others at MarineHarvest.ca. 2
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From one island to another, hatchery tech is content Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia after high school and followed up with a 16 month aquaculture course at St. Andrew’s Community College in New Brunswick. “I’ve always had an interest in animals and science,” says Phyllis. Following her post-secondary education, Phyllis worked at a hatchery for a year and then moved onto the Atlantic Salmon Federation for four years, where she did studies of salmon families and strains as well as feeding habits. By Gina Forsyth
Almost three years ago, Hatchery Technician Phyllis Frankland made the move from the east coast to the west coast to join the team at Dalrymple hatchery, north of Campbell River. It’s a change she loves. Born in Grand Manaan, New Brunswick, Phyllis did a year of Arts and Sciences at
“It taught me to always be looking for things out of the ordinary,” she says. After a car accident that required six month’s rehabilitation, Phyllis started a home-based business smoking salmon. For a decade she operated as a retailer and her clients included the St. Lawrence Market in Toronto. In addition, Phyllis teamed up with a kayaking company and cooked
Calling all babies If you or any of your co-workers have a newborn baby and want to make them super stylish with some Marine Harvest overalls we want to know! Managers please contact Sandra.Hamling@marineharvest.com at reception to set up getting baby swag for your employees. We can either mail them out or get them wrapped up for you to present to the new Mom or Dad.
salmon on the beach for the kayaking clients. In 2004, Phyllis moved to Guelph, Ontario, where she had family. A decade later she returned to New Brunswick to work, but full-time permanent jobs were difficult to find. She vaccinated fish and also worked for Connors Brothers, doing quality control in a sardine factory. A former aquaculture teacher told her that representatives from Marine Harvest were coming to the area to recruit workers for the Campbell River area. Phyllis was hired! “I took a chance, gave away my possessions and drove across country,” she says. After a year of assisting wherever she was needed, Phyllis moved into first feeding, where she remains. She monitors water flow in the tanks and carefully observes fish behaviour. There’s also daily data recording, including feed amounts and water quality. “We remove the poor performers early, which requires a good eye, and are also diligent with feeding. We want to give as many fish as possible the best possible start,” Phyllis says. Phyllis lives on a beach front cottage on Quadra Island and loves the community spirit and friendliness on the island. “It’s very social and everybody helps everybody,” she enthuses. When she’s away from work, Phyllis collects beach wood and paints inspirational sayings on them to give away as gifts. She also plays hand drums regularly and can be found at many musical events.
Thomas George Desprez sporting his new overalls. MarineHarvest.ca
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Shift into winter By Blaine Tremblay, Health and Safety Manager
As we all know, winter is coming, and winter-rated tires on the north island and most other B.C. highways are mandatory! Black ice can be extremely hazardous and when temperatures dip below 7° the rubber in all-weather tires becomes hard and loses traction. Anyone who travels on the north island can see that Marine Harvest drivers are some of the safest and most-prepared drivers on the road. That being said, every time that you get behind the wheel you are responsible for the safety of yourself and your passengers, so we don’t want to become complacent. What controls can you put in place to improve safety? •
Ensure you have winter tires or all-weather tires that display the mountain and snowflake logo
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Retorque lug nuts after first 150kms
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Ensure the vehicle is regularly inspected and well-maintained
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Ensure your vehicle has the required emergency equipment on board (vehicle safety kits are available in the Basware purchasing catalog)
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Carry winter washer fluid and a long handled scraper
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Bring warm clothing when travelling long distances in the winter in case of breakdown or accident
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Check weather reports before you leave at drivebc.ca or call toll free 1-800-550-4997
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Do a thorough pre-trip inspection
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Drive to the conditions and not the speed limit!
The most important PPE we all have is our BrainSafe. Use your judgment to slow down whenever conditions are less than ideal. Always reduce speed when approaching icy areas such as shaded areas, bridges and overpasses. Driving slower is safer. Vehicle control- steer gradually to avoid a skid. Accelerate gently, turn slowly, and brake carefully and early. Avoid quick movements that could put you in a spin. Anticipate turns, stops, and lane changes well before they occur. For more information on safe winter driving go to shiftintowinter.ca
Thanks Port Hardy! We were honoured to receive two nominations at the 45th Chamber Business Awards of Excellence for Work Place of the Year & Business of the Year. The sold-out event was held at the new Kwa’lilias Hotel on September 30th. Congratulations to all the nominees and award recipients. MarineHarvest.ca Answer: Tony Tanti and Markus Naslund
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Fly fishing course at Campbell River school This year he has taken the initiative further and developed a school program that involves both class room studies and learning in the field. Within the class they learn practical skills such as tying flies, knots, and casting. Supplemented with this learning is concepts that include conservation, stewardship, and etiquette.
MHC biologist Greg Gibson hands the donation to Carihi teacher Nicolas Pisterzi
Marine Harvest has partnered with Carihi Secondary School to launch a fly fishing elective course for students in Grades 9-12 that counts as credit towards their graduation.
Teacher Nicolas Pisterzi first started the Carihi Fly Fishing Club, with support from local businesses, salmon enhancement groups, and fly fishing mentors within the community.
Marine Harvest is proud to be the founding sponsor and offer both financial and experiential support so the students learn more on how to fly fish the rivers and beach fronts of northern Vancouver Island. Marine Harvest became involved with the Carihi Fly Fishing Club by taking a group to the Elk River in June, please check out the website for photos of that adventure, marineharvest.ca/about/blog.
Instead of a regular day of shopping, the Marine Harvest Purchasing Team - Gary, Adrienne and Kelsey - realized it was the time of year to be giving, and decided to do a large grocery shop at the Superstore to donate to the Campbell River Foodbank Thanksgiving Drive. As you can see – it did not take them long to fill up the back of an SUV.
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Best year yet for charity BBQ
Salmon stars at community events
Pierre Conroy, Hope Afloat dragon boater Gaetane Palardy and Cori Wheeler.
Marine Harvest has now raised more than $150,000 by selling barbequed salmon at community events across Vancouver Island.
They also think it has a lot to do with the ongoing popularity of the gluten-friendly and delicious salmon noodle salad.
From 19 fundraising barbeques in 2017, we raised a total of $27,540 which is the largest amount ever from one season.
Some other new developments this season are the use of a new local tomato grower and a bright new tent to advertise the fresh salmon barbeque.
Chefs Cori Wheeler and Pierre Conroy attribute a few factors to this year’s success such as great weather, hardworking volunteers, and lots of hungry customers.
Applications for the 2018 season will be announced on our website – www. MarineHarvest.ca – in February. The BC Salmon Farmers Association’s summit – Seafood West – will be held in conjunction with the 2017 Annual General Meeting on October 10th and 11th in Victoria, B.C. As the preeminent event for aquaculture in B.C., Seafood West will be attended by
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Rebecca and Melody cook Marine Harvest salmon.
As well as the charity barbeques, Marine Harvest donates limited fresh salmon to deserving causes throughout the year. We love getting feedback from people who cook our salmon, such as Rebecca Stauffer and Melody Kostamo at Camp Bob. The annual Women’s Weekend Event at Camp Bob was a great success and they say the salmon was cooked to perfection!
senior representatives from the industry, government (local, provincial, and federal), First Nation partners, academics active in aquaculture-related research, and community leaders. For more information and registration, visit http:// bcsalmonfarmers.ca/seafoodwest/.
EQUIPMENT FOR SALE marineharvestusedsales.com