environmental sustainability « Marine Harvest Canada WebBlog

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Research Project Lays Foundation for possible Future Site Expansion

December 9, 2010

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: AIMAP, alternative salmon cage nets, Aquaculture and Innovation and Market Access Program, biofouling, british columbia, CART, Coastal Aquaculture Research and Training program, copper treated nets, Courtney Edwards, DFO, dissolved oxygen, Dyneema, environmental sustainability, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gina Forsyth, high energy off-shore, Jeff King, Keith Petrie, marine harvest, Norway, Port Hardy, Shleter Bay, Slovakia, UVic — marineharvestcanada @ 2:29 pm

A jointly funded pilot project by Marine Harvest and Fisheries and Oceans Canada to test alternative salmon cage nets will be underway near Port Hardy in October.

The trial at Shelter Bay was approved through DFO’s Aquaculture and Innovation and Market Access Program (AIMAP). This site was chosen specifically because of its consistently high currents and strong wave action. Total cost for the project, including the Marine Harvest portion, is approximately $2,000,000.00.

The project involves eight cages and five test nets with a variety of coatings, including some from Norway. The nets will be equally exposed to conditions and the data gathered on biofouling rates, etc. will be compared and contrasted at the conclusion of the project next spring. The alternative nets will be tested in a controlled study using nylon nets as the control, a first for British Columbia.

There are three objectives for the testing, explained Engineer Jeff King. The first is to improve the environmental sustainability of the industry by reducing the use of copper treated nets. Also important is to increase farm productivity, possibly by several percent, by maximizing both water flow and dissolved oxygen flow through the nets. Another focus is to develop a proven system of cages and nets suitable for more extreme weather conditions.

“This project lays the foundation for possible site expansion into areas with harsher conditions than we have now. If we know our equipment can withstand extreme weather we can more comfortably look towards high energy off-shore sites in the future,” said Jeff.

As part of this initiative, Marine Harvest will gather a large body of data regarding biofouling rates on the various nets. Courtney Edwards, a University of Victoria grad student working with the Coastal Aquaculture Research and Training program (CART) will be analyzing the data collected at Shelter Bay via underwater camera.

Jeff and Keith Petrie, Purchasing Supervisor, travelled to Badinotti’s factory in Slovakia. They met with net experts to discuss net design prior to the building of 12 nets manufactured specifically for Marine Harvest and this project. Two custommade nets will be arriving shortly. In addition, we discussed innovative net designs, including a new stronger net material called Dyneema, said Jeff. One net utilizing this Dyneema technology will be used in the AIMAP project.

The installation of the nets is scheduled for October. Although the final report is due to DFO in April, testing of the nets will continue through until 2012, when the fish currently on site are scheduled for harvest.

By Gina Forsyth

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Styro box® recycling: it’s possible, it happens locally, and Marine Harvest contributes

June 8, 2010

Filed under: Community Support,What We Do — Tags: Aqua-Pak, California, Campbell River, Cory Percevault, Director of Supply Chain and Processing, environmental sustainability, fish boxes, General manager, Gina Forsyth, Hardy Buoys, Home Depot, ISO 140001, ISO 9001, marine harvest, marine harvest canada, MHC Freshwater Division, Neil Stewart, Noboco, North Island, Orient, PHPP, Polystyrene, Port Hardy, Port Hardy Processing Plant, Recycling, Styro box, Styro box®, styrofoam, Tim Dayton, Wal-Mart, Walcan — marineharvestcanada @ 11:32 am

The two pallets ready for shipment.

Noboco’s Customer Service Representative Sheila McKenzie holding a 39 lbs ingot (block) with some of the 26 boxes and lids that will be converted into a block in preparation for shipment.

Mel Heijari of Aqua-Pak processing thru, some customer returned boxes.

When the new Wal-Mart opens in Campbell River, you’ll be able to support Marine Harvest’s recycling efforts by purchasing a picture frame made from polystyrene that could have originally been part of the company’s BC operations.

Neil Stewart, Director of Supply Chain and Processing said that despite what many people think, the technology does exist to reuse styrofoam. “It’s gotten a bad reputation because recycling depots won’t take it and people think you can’t do anything positive with it but that’s not true.” he added.

Since January 2009, damaged styro boxes® (fish boxes) have been sent from the Marine Harvest’s Port Hardy Processing Plant to Noboco’s Coulter Road plant in Campbell River. The MHC Freshwater Division also contributes since vaccine is also shipped in styro boxes®.

Once the boxes arrive at Noboco, their density is reduced 25 times by machinery that grinds, crushes and very slightly heats foam into blocks said Cory Percevault, Plant Manager at Noboco. The equipment Noboco uses is now widely available from many suppliers worldwide.

After the blocks leave Noboco, they are consolidated at Aqua-Pak’s largest recycling operation and shipped to California or the Orient, where they are further re-processed and extruded into attractive, light weight decorative picture frames and crown house hold mouldings that are sold in the retail market by Wal-Mart, Home Depot, etc.

Cory said Noboco processes 500-600 boxes and other packaging a week into bricks from all outside sources including Marine Harvest, Hardy Buoys, Walcan, and their other corporate clients. Total investment in the necessary equipment and set-up was approximately $125,000, said Tim Dayton, General Manager of Noboco and Aqua Pak.

“We’ve incorporated this into the way we’re doing business now,” said Neil, adding that it’s another aspect of improving our environmental sustainability.

And Tim agrees. We all (personally and corporately) have to take responsibility for our actions, facilities and products we produce to ensure what we do is sustainable.

Having been certified ISO 9001 process for almost ten years, Noboco and Aqua-Pak certified ISO 140001 environmental a year ago and credit some of their current efforts to that new standard.

“We are taking ownership for the products we make and Marine Harvest is doing absolutely the right thing.” Tim added.

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Collaborative project sheds light on Broughton Clam Beaches

February 8, 2010

Filed under: Community Support,What We Do — Tags: BC Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, bivalve, Broughton archipelago, Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, clam, DFO, environmental sustainability, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gina Forsyth, Kwicksutaineuk-Ah’Kwak’ah’mish First Nation, Larsen Island, marine harvest, Namgis First Nation, Port Elizabeth, salmon farming, Sharon DeDominicis — marineharvestcanada @ 2:27 pm

Working collaboratively with the ‘Namgis First Nation the Kwicksutaineuk-Ah’Kwak’ah’mish First Nation and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), Marine Harvest has spearheaded a two year project designed to address First Nation’s concerns about a possible link between changes to clam productivity and quality and site operations.

In addition to salmon farming, possible human disturbances in the area include impacts from forestry operations such as woody debris buildup in the marine environment, said Sharon DeDominicis, Marine Harvest Canada’s Environmental Sustainability Manager. The project was an opportunity to learn more about what factors impact bivalve populations, she added.

“We wanted to get a clear idea of what’s going on and Fisheries and Oceans Canada was involved too since they’re the agency responsible for the management of clam populations.” stated Sharon. Officially titled the “Assessment of Impacts to Natural Beaches and Culturally Modified Clam Gardens in the Broughton Archipelago,” the study centered on the Port Elizabeth and Larsen Island farm site areas. Bivalve sampling was done at different distances from the sites, ranging from 200 to 1,000 meters in order to examine the interaction between aquaculture operations and the clam beaches and terraces.

In addition to focusing on beaches where clams have traditionally been harvested, the half-million dollar project included studying First Nations clam terraces, or gardens. These ancient one-two meter high rock walls were constructed at the low-water level and acted as breakwaters to allow the clams to flourish while protected from the strong currents.

“The clam gardens have “huge cultural significance” for the area’s First Nations.” Sharon stated.

Throughout the spring and summer, approximately 5,000 clams were collected and studied. A variety of information was gathered, including digital pictures showing the location and quantity of clams on the beaches, as well as the approximate ages of the adult and juvenile clams. Sea grass, algae, and sediment surveys were also included in the inventory of habitat and clam populations. The sediment samples collected will provide information regarding the history of the clam terraces.

The beaches chosen for the study were based in part on knowledge shared by local First Nations regarding areas where clam gathering was done in generations past.

The project team not only included Marine Harvest and DFO staff but also included reps from the ‘Namgis Nation, the Centre for Aquatic Health Sciences, and consultants who offered additional technical expertise.

The field portion of the project is now complete and written results are expected by February 2010. They will include future considerations for longterm monitoring and procedures that are intended to preserve or increase clam productivity as well as providing a direction for possible future research.

By Gina Forsyth

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Leading the way in site restoration

June 5, 2009

Filed under: What We Do — Tags: Cynthia Durance, DFO, eel grass, Englewood, environmental sustainability, Fair Harbour, fish habitat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gina Forsyth, habitat compensation, Kitasoo/Xai’xais, Kyuquot Sound, Lime Point, marine harvest canada, No Net Loss, octopus, Port McNeill, Precision Identification, restoration, Sharon DeDominicis, Sheep Passage, waste footprint — marineharvestcanada @ 11:57 am

The Concise Oxford dictionary defines compensation as “…to make amends, offset deficiency by developing another characteristic”. If dictionaries came with real-life examples, Marine Harvest would be a powerful one indeed.

Whenever there is any sort of structure added to the marine environment that disturbs or disrupts fish habitat, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) requires that compensation, or restoration, is carried out, said Sharon DeDominicis, Environmental Sustainability Manager.

Known as its “No Net Loss” policy, this regulation is mandatory for not only all aquaculture companies but any company such as those involved in power generation and forestry that changes the seabed in what DFO deems to be a negative manner, she added.

In aquaculture, the compensation is based on a site by site study of the “waste footprint,” measured by underwater filming of what life is present and how much there is. This productivity rating of biomass and its abundance determines what level of restoration is required.

In the past Marine Harvest has built rock reefs, specifically at Englewood and in Kyuquot Sound at Fair Harbour, leading to habitat that is now suitable for numbers of octopus who make their homes amongst the rocks.

“We brought the habitat back and the critters followed”, said DeDominicis.

However, eelgrass habitat compensation is where Marine Harvest can be particularly proud of its track record. Eelgrass is critical to the health of the world’s oceans, providing essential protected areas for a variety of living creatures. But it doesn’t reproduce well and once a bed is gone due to habitat disturbance, it’s extremely slow to come back.

Enter Marine Harvest Canada and Cynthia Durance of Precision Identification, who Marine Harvest has worked with since 2006. In consultation with the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation and DFO, the company chose this crucial plant as its remediation for the sites at Sheep Passage and Lime Point.

The process of placing the eelgrass on the ocean floor is highly labour intensive. The plant is carefully removed from its donor site to land, where a small steel washer is carefully attached to each blade’s root to weigh it down and improve its chances of successful growth. Once this on-land work is complete, each blade is returned to the water and painstakingly placed in its new location.

“It’s a huge net benefit,” said DeDominicis, adding that this form of site remediation has been “totally successful” and each bed planted is “doing fantastic”.

Eelgrass is needed by ocean inhabitants throughout the world and Marine Harvest is doing its part to provide it, often in areas where it didn’t previously flourish.

By Gina Forsyth

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