What We Do « Marine Harvest Canada WebBlog

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Marine Harvest farm technician scoops up big award in Norway

April 18, 2013

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: aquaculture, BBC News, Bergen, british columbia, fish farming, Intrafish, Klemtu, Lauren Edgar, marine harvest, Norway, salmon farming, Sayward — marineharvestcanada @ 5:26 pm

It was the furthest distance that young Lauren Edgar has ever ventured from her house in Sayward.

But as it turns out, travelling to Bergen, Norway was very much worth it.

Lauren had travelled to Bergen in early March because she was nominated for the “Community Ambassador” award at the 2013 IntraFish Aquaculture Awards. Fish farmers had gathered from around the world to celebrate aquaculture, network and reward ‘special’ people working in the industry.

Lauren Edgar

And Lauren won. “I’m so happy to receive this award and have the honour of representing my company Marine Harvest, my family in Klemtu and Canadian aquaculture,” said Lauren after the awards.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Lauren began working for Marine Harvest Canada in 2007 at age 22. Over the years, and in addition to working hard as a salmon farm technician, she has leant her voice and image to salmon farming – a business that has helped her hometown of Klemtu move from an era of over-fishing and limited economic opportunity toward one of sustainable and diverse development.

“I feel like I’m paying it back,” says Lauren. “If my voice can help educate the public about the benefits of farm-raised salmon, I’m more than happy to do it.”

Her hometown of Klemtu, a remote coastal village in British Columbia with about 400 inhabitants, is only accessible by boat or plane.

The people of Klemtu are known as Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation peoples, and have been salmon farming since the mid-1980s. The Nation asked to partner with Marine Harvest Canada in 1998, to ensure their salmon aquaculture business would be able to compete in a very competitive global market. Since salmon farming began, unemployment in the village has been reduced from 90 per cent to about 40 per cent. Today, about 60 Kitasoo/Xai’xais members farm, process and package 10 million pounds of Atlantic salmon yearly.

To show her support of her chosen career, Lauren has appeared in numerous print ads, sustainability reports, educational videos and was featured in the BBC News produced segment titled “Working Lives”.

Marine Harvest would like to congratulate Lauren on this very deserving award.

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Farm sites “home away from home” for self-published author

March 25, 2013

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: Alberta, artist, author, Calgary, Childrens Book, Comox Valley, Courtenay, Denise Fredriksen, equestrian, Fish Like Me, Gina Forsyth, horses, marine harvest, salmon farmer, Sean Fredriksen, Vancouver Island, west coast, Wildwood Stables — marineharvestcanada @ 2:20 pm

From the time Sean Fredriksen was a baby until he moved to Vancouver Island in 1995, travelling over the Rocky Mountains between BC and his birthplace of Calgary, Alberta, was a regular summer event. “My parents had a cabin in Bowser, south of Courtenay, and the family spent every July there, fishing,” he said. When the time came, it was Sean’s love of fishing that brought him to the West Coast.

Sean, who joined Marine Harvest in 2009 after a career as a sports fishing guide, started as a deckhand on workboats. He enjoyed it but wanted to be closer to the fish. When an opportunity for a farm site position came up, Sean applied and shortly after, started at Midsummer, then moved to Larsen Island, and then to Swanson Island, where he’s currently a Farm Technician. “At Swanson, we pay attention to details and I like that. I love being on the

Fish Like Me, Sean Fredriksen

water and watching the fish grow”.

Sean and his wife Denise, who have been married for three years and have a blended family with three kids, live north of Courtenay in the Dove Creek area. They own and operate Wildwood Stables, one of the few full-care horse boarding and indoor arena equestrian centres in the Comox Valley. Denise is a hunter/jumper trainer and the Centre also regularly hosts clinics, events and arena rental.

Sean’s enjoyment of the outdoors and fishing in particular, as well as his interest and talent in drawing has led him on a new adventure – he’s now a published author. “I use India ink and pastels,” he explains, adding that a fishing trip with his youngest son was the inspiration for a series of sketches. “My youngest son went to school and told his friends that his step-dad had written a book about him,” explains Sean. After that, he wrote the story and chose to self-publish through Xlibris in 2010.

Check out Sean’s book, Fish Like Me. Customers world-wide have bought Sean’s book and an e-book version will be available next year. In the meantime, Fish Like Me will be part of an LA-based book expo in February. Sean is currently working on a second book about his step-daughter and her horse.

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Nets – A Paradigm Shift

March 13, 2013

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: Canada, company, design, farming, farms, HDPE, hybrid, James Gaskill, marine harvest, material, net pens, nets, netting, nylon, paradigm shift, Port Hardy, predator, Quatsino, salmon, sea cages, technology — marineharvestcanada @ 10:48 am

Bu James Gaskill, Production Director, Marine Harvest Canada

After 25+ years, say good-bye to single nylon nets. These nets have served the industry for a long time but in order for us to be a more modern and progressive salmon farming company we are moving on.

The nets of old bring to mind the term “net pens” which conjures up the image of something not as substantial as we’d like it to be. We are now in the age of sea cages where we require more protection, more resilience and more longevity. Our quest for an improved net began almost four years ago when we realized that what we were using had to change. We needed three things: a new design, a new material, and redundancy.

As always, through trial and error, and through input from managers and staff alike we came up with a hybrid design. Hybrid because it incorporates the function of a main net and also provides predator protection.

However, the development did not stop there – we soon discovered that we needed a material that would not stretch, shrink, nor lose its strength over time. Our answer came through a suggestion from our purchasing staff: why not use HDPE (high density polyethylene) netting? It is the product of choice for the trawling industry around the world. It had the criteria we were looking for and the added benefit of having a low drag in the water (very slippery) and having a high abrasion resistance. Once we had a base design and the correct material the newly formed Net Committee went to work refining the design and setting specifications.

High Density Polyethylene Netting

The first design was installed at Phillips Arm farm where it has just been removed after all its fish were harvested. According to the manager and staff, the net performed well having been effective against predators and nearly as clean when it came out as when it went in. Similar nets of different material weights are being trialed at Mahatta East site where they have outperformed three other materials (including nylon) in a four way net trial.

The last key in the cog was even greater added redundancy that would further protect against predators, the potential for escape, or damage by driftwood. So, we decided to build full site predator nets from the same HDPE material – we have Dean Trethewey to thank for much of the design work. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year the management and staff of Quatsino and Port Hardy worked their butts off to install six full site predator nets which have been tremendously effective to date.

And so what’s the plan? In January it was decided that over the next 2+ years we will: replace all aging nylon nets and any prior copper dipped nets with our new hybrid HDPE nets, and that 100% of cages will include predator nets. It will be an investment of several million dollars, but a necessary and responsible one. So if you’re out and about and see the funky purple or yellow nets, you’ll know the paradigm shift has begun.

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In-house invented underwater fish vacuum proves itself

February 19, 2013

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: aquaculture, fish pump, marine harvest, operations, plankton, pumps, research and development, Rocky Boschman, salmon, scuba divers, underwater — marineharvestcanada @ 2:26 pm

Two years of research, development and testing by Marine Harvest Canada’s Operations Department has paid off with the successful introduction of a custom built airlift pump system that safely and efficiently recovers fish from the bottom of net pens.

The system is temporarily installed into the pen and easily removed with the assistance of a large crane, according to Rocky Boschman, Marine Technical Services Manager. Operated from the surface, air is injected into hoses which are attached to the equipment’s bodies at depth and creates a strong vacuum that sucks the fish up to the water’s surface and directly into sealed containers.

Three identical units that weigh upwards of 800 pounds each are housed at two locations central to Marine Harvest’s farming locations. In the rare case that a naturally occurring event, such as a summer plankton bloom, may cause an increase in fish mortality, a unit can be shipped and deployed very quickly.

“The in-house development of this system is something we’re very proud of,” said Rocky, adding that knowing the company is well

Rocky Boschman inspects airlift pipe used for Marine Harvest designed fish pump system

prepared for rare mortality events gives a new level of peace of mind to site staff and managers alike. As part of the company’s ongoing “be prepared” strategy, staff training and annual equipment maintenance is completed each year in May. Comprehensive written standard operating procedures that are stringently followed were also developed by staff. Only employees who have been thoroughly trained operate the equipment.

Health and safety issues regarding contract scuba divers in the pens have also been significantly reduced since the pump system was first introduced in 2011. With stringent regulations limiting the length of time divers can be underwater at any one time, the use of surface controlled equipment means that employees can take as much time as needed to complete the job without worrying about people’s well-being.

“Our system is particularly useful if divers aren’t available right away. Our on-site staff can get a good start and have the bulk of the work done immediately, and have divers simply complete the final clean up,” explained Rocky.

The price tag for one unit is $15,000, but costs are quickly offset by reduced use of contract scuba divers.

“The Operations Department reminds themselves of the motto, ‘The difference between disaster and adventure is preparation’”, explained Rocky. “And, we have all year to plan for a couple of days of adventure.”

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Hatchery and home: a lovely combination for new parent

February 12, 2013

Filed under: On The Coast,What We Do — Tags: BC, Beau, Ben Schoenfelder, Big Tree Creek, Black Creek, Cecilia Plecas, conservation, farming, Gina Forsyth, Gold River, Hatchery, horse, marine harvest, Maureen Ritter, Nanaimo, ORES, Oyster River Enhancement Society, salmon, Sayward, Trace Alexander, Vancouver Island, Vanier High School — marineharvestcanada @ 10:36 am

Cecilia and Beau

By Gina Forsyth

Cecilia Plecas was 10 years old when she was introduced to the aquaculture industry through her mother, Maureen Ritter. “I remember picking eggs at the hatchery and enjoying how methodical it was.” Years later, as an adult, Cecilia made the move to the industry.

When her maternity leave started in late October, Cecilia was working at Big Tree Creek hatchery near Sayward, north of Campbell River. She’s involved with the egg incubation process which includes removing the less healthy eggs and ensuring ongoing cleanliness. Cecilia has also been responsible for first feedings once the eggs are further developed.

A 2005 graduate of Vanier High in Courtenay, Cecilia was born in Duncan on southern Vancouver Island and lived in Nanaimo and Gold River before settling in Black Creek, south of Campbell River.

Of course a conversation with Cecilia these days would simply not be complete without the subject of the newest addition to the family, the “lovely” Trace Alexander, born November 9 to Cecilia and her partner Ben Schoenfelder, who is part of the Marine Harvest Projects Crew.

Cecilia’s interest in fish extends to her volunteer work. In 2005, as a summer student at the Oyster River Enhancement Society (ORES), Cecilia appreciated the opportunity to work outside, feeding fish, doing lawn maintenance and dismantling beaver dams on the Oyster River. “It was really cool,” she says. Since then, she’s continued to give of her time to ORES by feeding fish on weekends.

Cecilia also has a passion for horses, especially Beau, her 17 year old quarter horse. “I would love for Trace to ride when he’s older”.

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The Marine Harvest barbeque team: giving back to the community

February 7, 2013

Filed under: Community Support,What We Do — Tags: aquaculture, Barbeque, burgers, Cancer Society, charity, Clare Backman, Community Support, eating salmon, food bank, Food Safe, fundraising, marine harvest, North Island, salmon, SPCA, St Joe's Hospital, Vancouver Island, Volunteer, Y.A.N.A. — marineharvestcanada @ 9:26 am

By Clare Backman, Sustainability Programs Director

If you ever have the chance to help out at a MHC salmon barbeque or a food show event – do it. You may be surprised at the conversation about our business of salmon farming. While we sometimes see newspaper articles critical of our business that appear loud and fierce, we rarely hear from this small, yet vocal group at a food event. We certainly don’t ignore criticisms and concerns – heck we have a robust regulatory framework that was built as a response to them – but the reality of a day volunteering to hand out salmon to support a charitable cause is very different: it’s a lot of fun!

Clare Backman

At my first event I learned that safe set up and operation of our very cool BBQ trailer was a key element of a successful event so I set my mind to learning the procedures for set up and take down. I also learned that a Food Safe course was a good idea if I wanted to make sure that all this great salmon was going to remain a healthy food choice after passing through my hands. So that was a must do course that I quickly got under my belt.

Since then I’ve been at several BBQ and food show events and the main theme that weaves through all of them is that people come out to these community fund raisers to have fun and support a good cause – be it the Food Bank, the Cancer Society or the SPCA. Something very special happens every time: people are all blown away by the Marine Harvest staff and BBQ trailer and the way we give back to the community by donating our time and thousands of dollars of our very excellent salmon. The questions I find myself answering are “where can I buy your salmon?” or “where are your farms located?” I find that I say a lot of “you’re very welcome” and “glad you enjoyed eating our salmon”.

There may also be questions like “why Atlantic salmon?” or “what do you feed them?” but there’s always one of us who can provide a simple answer. People usually ask honest questions in a non-critical manner. Community fundraisers are ‘smile fests’, not political debates!

At the end of each BBQ season I count myself fortunate to have met many Marine Harvest staff members that I didn’t know before and to have received the heartfelt thanks of hundreds of North Islanders for helping to raise funds for worthy causes.

I can’t wait to sign up for BBQ events in 2013!

To see the video of Marine Harvest’s Salmon Barbeque click here.

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Getting a charge out of aquaculture

January 3, 2013

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: Baseball, BC, Big Tree Creek, camosun college, Campbell River, Campbell River Curling Club, Canada, Courtenay, electrician, Gina Forsyth, golf, Hatchery, hockey, Joe Johnson, Joe Johnson Electric, maintenance, marine harvest, Mexico, mining, Port Hardy, Quinsam Coal, Sayward, Susan Johnson, Upchucks, Vancouver Island, Vanier High School, Victoria, welding — marineharvestcanada @ 10:46 am

By Gina Forsyth

For more than 11 years Joe Johnson has been responsible for Maintenance and Electrical work at Big Tree Creek Hatchery near Sayward. “My job is to keep everything maintained and running and to do anything to make the staffs’ lives easier, better, or safer,” Joe says.

“I’ve got an old shop on-site with just about every tool and machine a guy could want, including welders, table saws and a drill press. If it’s made from wood, aluminum stainless, steel, or plastics, I can build it or fix it,” he adds.

He was born and raised in Victoria and finished grade 12 at Vanier High in Courtenay. After graduation, Joe completed his four year electrical apprenticeship at Camosun College in Victoria.

Joe Johnson, Hatchery Electrician, Marine Harvest

“I’m happy to say I’ve spent my entire life on Vancouver Island,” says Joe.

Joe has worked in construction all over the Island. His father was an electrician and Joe is very proud to follow his dad’s career path. From Victoria to Port Hardy, he has wired hospitals, pulp mills, mines, apartment blocks, and even refitted a cruise ship. Even after 30 years of work, Joe still enjoys doing side jobs on nights and weekends through Joe Johnson Electric.

Along the way, Joe worked for four and a half years at Quinsam Coal. “I was underground and really enjoyed it – it’s a whole different world down there,” he says. “My great grandfather was a coal miner and that connection meant a lot to me.,”

He made the successful transition to aquaculture after his wife saw an ad for the maintenance position at the hatchery. Until then, electrical work had been contracted out, and the managers and Joe chose to take a chance and have an electrician on staff. “We decided on a three month trial to ensure everybody was happy. I think it has worked out well for all of us.”

Joe met his wife Susan while at a construction job in Port Hardy. They’ve been married for 19 years and have raised three wonderful kids. The family built a house four years ago – a task that was on Joe’s “bucket list”. Joe enjoys his home and gets great satisfaction from the simple things, such as cutting grass.

Joe is active all year round, whether it be golfing, baseball (he’s a long standing member of team ‘Upchuck’), camping in the summer or floor hockey in the winter. “I’ve been playing sports with the same group for more than 25 years,” said Joe, adding that he’s enjoying it as much as ever.

“Susan and I have also been lucky enough to enjoy many trips to Mexico. Life is good.”

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The dream of a four year old comes true

December 19, 2012

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: Alberta, aquaculture, british columbia, Calgary, Campbell River, career, Craig Sherman, Diane Sherman, fish and Wildlife Technologist, fishing, fly fishing, four years old, Gina Forsyth, Klemtu, marine harvest, New Brunswick, Ontario, salmon farming, Saltspring Island, Sault St. Marie, Sunshine Coast, Vancouver, working with fish — marineharvestcanada @ 2:38 pm

Craig Sherman

By Gina Forsyth

Craig Sherman was only four years old when he knew what his future would hold. He and his family were living in New Brunswick when he went fishing with his dad. “That experience made me realize I wanted to work with fish,” said the Site Manager of Potts Bay.

Although Craig was born in Calgary, Alberta, “I was raised all over Canada,” he explained. After high school in Ontario, Craig enrolled in the three-year Fish and Wildlife Technologist diploma program in Sault St. Marie. Craig made the move to BC in 1986 and began his aquaculture career on the Sunshine Coast, just north of Vancouver.

“The aquaculture industry was on fire then,” he said. Craig’s first industry job was at Aquarius Seafarms. He also worked for the former BC Packers, and other companies, eventually settling on Saltspring Island from 1993 to 2005 for Marine Harvest. “We did a lot of community outreach and changed a lot of minds on the island about salmon farming.”

In the summer of 2004, Craig worked on the north coast, in Klemtu, as the first manager of Goat Cove. He was also instrumental in the start up of Kid Bay. The following year, Craig made the move to the Campbell River region, managing Young Pass and Brougham. In the last couple of months, he’s started at Potts Bay, which he’s really enjoying.

“Most of all I enjoy helping people learn and develop and move onto management positions.”

Craig and his wife Diane have two adult children, both girls. Not surprisingly, Craig loves fly fishing in his leisure time, and has been tying his own flies for more than 35 years.

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A Taste of BC: a hole in the ground to recirculating aquaculture farm

December 3, 2012

Filed under: Community Support,What We Do — Tags: A Taste of BC, Agriculture Innovation Fund, AIMAP, Andrew Forsythe, aquaculture, Canada, chef, China, Dave Ashcroft, Departure Bay, fish farmer, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ian Roberts, Jameson Road, marine harvest, Nanaimo, Philip Redmond, PRAqua, preacher, RAS, recirculating aquaculture systems, salmon, seafood, steelhead trout, Steve Atkinson, sturgeon, Taste of BC, trout, Tsawwassen, Vancouver Island University, VIU, Wayne Gorrie — marineharvestcanada @ 11:37 am

By Ian Roberts

In the late 1990s, preacher Steve Atkinson removed gravel from his newly acquired property on Jameson Road in Nanaimo. The deep hole that remained figuratively and literally spawned an idea – fill it with water and fish.
Steve approached Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Fisheries and Aquaculture faculty to buy some trout, and they introduced him to staff at Marine Harvest Canada (MHC).
And so began Steve’s career in aquaculture.
Dr. Andrew Forsythe, MHC’s Freshwater Director at that time, encouraged Steve, also a trained chef, to purchase farm-raised Chinook from the company for smoking. “My involvement in fish farming began with Marine Harvest when I started smoking and

'A Taste of BC' aquaculture farm breaks ground in Nanaimo, BC

selling salmon at the Tsawwassen, Swartz Bay and Nanaimo Ferry Terminals,” Steve recalls, “and it was a great success and expanded to markets in China.”
At the time, small amounts of trout, salmon and sturgeon were being successfully raised at his homestead and this led to another great idea. Steve, Andrew and Wayne Gorrie at PR Aqua Supplies Ltd. realized that the spring fed rural property would be a prime spot for a “model farm” – a place where nearby students could receive ‘hands on’ fish farming experience as well as providing a research and development facility for PR Aqua.
When Steve sold his smoked salmon stores in 2008, he worked to make the ‘model farm’ dream a reality and searched for private and government funding.
His efforts paid off.
This year, the federal government’s Aquaculture Innovation and Market Access Program announced its commitment to partially fund a 100 tonne recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) at the property. The 1.4 million dollar facility has also received public and private funding including support from the Province’s Agriculture Innovation Fund, the National Research Council, the Interprovincial Partnership for Sustainable Freshwater Aquaculture Development, PR Aqua, VIU and MHC.
Construction is now underway and “Taste of BC” will produce 2 kilogram steelhead trout for local markets starting in 2013.

Steve Atkinson stands with tanks donated by Marine Harvest

Steve is very thankful for the help he’s received from Marine Harvest. “Without the help of people like Dr. Forsythe, Dave Ashcroft and Philip Redmond, I wouldn’t have been able to make the transition to aquaculture,’ Steve says and adds, smiling, “these people have also become friends.”
“I’m a chef by trade, preacher by profession and fish farmer by default,” Steve says with a laugh.

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Site Manager treasures tranquility at home and cooperative colleagues

November 15, 2012

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: Alberta, aquaculture, british columbia, Campbell River, Chinook, Curtis Resler, cutthroat, farming, fishing, Gina Forsyth, Lake Cowichan, marine harvest canada, salmon, St. Albert, trout, Vancouver Island, Youbou — marineharvestcanada @ 12:10 pm

By Gina Forsyth

On the shores of Lake Cowichan in the small community of Youbou, west of Duncan on Vancouver Island, BC, a small cabin is undergoing major renovations. It’s the home of Site Manager Curtis Resler. For more than a decade, this Alberta native has made salmon aquaculture his career and this serene community his home.

Curtis Resler

From his beginnings with salmon aquaculture in 2000, when Curtis hadn’t even seen pictures of salmon farming and knew nothing about it, to now, as manager of Larsen Island in the Broughton Archipelago, he has built a solid career in the industry he has come to love. “It’s a really good fit for me,” he said.

After finishing high school in St. Albert, Alberta, Curtis entered a business program at Camosun College. “I like my numbers and this area of study made sense for me.” After moving permanently to Vancouver Island in the late 1990s, Curtis was hired by what is now Marine Harvest at their Saltspring Island site, pulling nets. The job he found by chance, through word of mouth, led to a management position in the Campbell River region, first with Chinook and then with Atlantics in 2006. He made the transition to the Broughton area recently.

Curtis appreciates the myriad of training opportunities Marine Harvest offers him. “The leadership courses have given me insight into what makes people tick.” He appreciates the opportunity to be outside and part of a crew that has developed a sense of camaraderie both at work and socially. “We work hard for each other.”

When off-shift, Curtis appreciates the nearby lake and river fishing his home offers. “The river is a challenge because of the changing water levels and fishing from shore is tough, but the cutthroats are a great reward,” he said.

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