A World That Loves Farmed Seafood

CANADA
May 2012
In This Issue
A World That Loves Farmed Seafood . . . 1
Cryogenetics isn’t just for
Austin Powers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
From Norway to Canada, company
offers broad range of experience. . . . . . . . 3
Marine Harvest Canada
Comments on Fish Virus Findings. . . . . . 3
Kitoi Boxes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
No April Fools Joke. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Long Lost Brothers?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Donations Welcomed to help
MHC duo Conquer Cancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Ladies and Gents, Start Your Engines!. . . 4
Marine Harvest Pylons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Salmon Barbeque Success!. . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know?
The first VCR was made in 1956 and
was the size of a stand up piano.
Trivia time!
Only three mammals have sex
for pleasure. Which ones?
Answer on Page 4
Comments about
this Newsletter?
Please email comments, articles and ideas
to Ian Roberts, Communications Manager
at [email protected]
Wharfside
A World That Loves
Farmed Seafood
The senior
management
team takes time
every year to
plan for the
future of Marine
By Clare Backman,
Harvest Canada.
Sustainability Director
We identify
problems, develop plans for solutions and we
look ahead for challenges that we can maybe just
barely see on the horizon. It’s hard thinking but
we push ourselves and each other to develop a
plan that will both overcome the many obstacles
in our path and also lead us into success.
Recently we were challenged to look ahead 20
years asking: What would be a hugely successful
thing for people to be saying about Marine
Harvest in 2032?
A number of great
BHAGs (Big Hairy
Audacious Goal)
came up but one
really captured
our imagination:
Be the company
that makes the
world love farmed
seafood!
So why isn’t that
true right now? We can’t remember when we
last thought that hunting wild animals could
possibly supply enough food; its been hundreds
of years since we gave up on that and started
farming. Today, virtually all potential pasture
land is already in crops; there is no way to
MarineHarvestCanada.com
significantly increase the amount of global land
for agriculture.
However people still believe the oceans to be
untamed in character and limitless in their
capacity to produce fish. The oceans are
mysterious; we can’t live there ourselves so it’s
somehow calming to think that they will always
provide for us. But the ocean, like the land, is
not limitless. Collectively, the global capture
fisheries’ productive capacity peaked in the
1980s and has been level or decreasing since.
More and more species are being managed for
conservation or being completely protected to
prevent their extinction. Virtually all large fish
species are at risk – especially the open ocean
fish that are not within any one country’s power
to protect.
What has to
change? It
may be in this
generation that
we collectively
realize that
capture fisheries,
like hunting
on land, must
yield to farming
to provide the
majority of fish
for human consumption. When this reality
is no longer disputed, our challenge will be to
farm the most efficient species and in the most
appropriate places. This roughly means that
the measure of the product coming out of the
continued on page 2
Cryogenetics isn’t just for Austin Powers
By Gina Forsyth
A company providing cutting edge technology
to the aquaculture industry has found a new
home at the former University of BC research
farm south of Campbell River. Maureen Ritter,
Managing Director of Canada Cryogenetics
Services, said recently that the Norway-based
company has already done trial demonstrations
of their milt-freezing and storage services for
Marine Harvest Canada (MHC) in 2010 using
their mobile lab trailer.
“The ability to thaw and fertilize eggs using our
own cryopreserved product is a positive step
forward,” said Dean Guest, MHC’s Freshwater
Production Manager. Marine Harvest has been
a client of Canada Cryogenetics since 2010.
Marine Harvest delivers milt, also known as
sperm, from the farms in a company-specific
cooler to a secure and “clean” drop off zone that
is scrubbed and disinfected after each delivery.
Deliveries are routinely limited to a single
company per day and cleanliness protocols are
strictly adhered to. “After each production day,
the staff disinfects all surfaces such as counters,
equipment, cabinets, walls and floors in the lab,”
said Maureen.
frozen in tanks containing liquid nitrogen at
temperatures of -130˚ Celsius. Each tank has
the capacity to hold up to 2,500 Square Packs
– enough milt to fertilize approximately seven
million eggs.
This significant step forward means that milt
collected in any one year can be used to fertilize
eggs in other year classes leading to more
consistent performance between groups, said
Dean. It can also be used to provide genetic
material in future generations if required.
Maureen Ritter at Canada Cryogenetics lab
The milt is transferred by Canada Cryogenetics
staff into plastic strips called Square Packs
that can each hold enough sperm to fertilize
upwards of 3,000 eggs. Traditional technology
using “straws” accommodates enough product
to fertilize a maximum of 60 eggs at a time.
Once the milt is contained in the Square Packs,
they’re loaded onto a plastic holder that is
stored in an aluminum tube and placed into
a 500 litre sterilized canister reserved by
Marine Harvest. The tube is submerged and
Liquid nitrogen levels are visually inspected
daily and topped up on average every week. The
product keeps indefinitely and is returned to
Marine Harvest for egg fertilization as needed,
usually in the fall.
Marine Harvest staff will be trained on-site at
company hatcheries in the correct protocols for
thawing the milt and fertilizing eggs using the
cryo-preserved product. The company, which
also provides services to Marine Harvest Chile,
has a satellite office in New Brunswick.
Canada Cyrogenetics plans to introduce milt
activator, extender, and dilutor later this year.
A World That Loves Farmed Seafood
continued from page 1
farm will be greater than the raw materials and
energy going in - and the measures of effect on
the ocean will be positive, not negative.
What can we do right now? First, you can
own the dream. In my lifetime aquaculture
has grown from a wobbly newborn into a
2
strong, powerful thoroughbred that is gaining
confidence and running strong. But this race
has no finish line; it is a journey of improvement
and success that you are helping to shape. The
journey may take us places we did not expect to
go; it will definitely be full of challenges and not
MarineHarvestCanada.com
for the feint of heart. You can decide to be part
of the team that will make Marine Harvest “The
company that makes the world love farmed
seafood”. It will be a very exciting ride.
From Norway to Canada, company
offers broad range of experience
By Gina Forsyth
Kyle Girgan’s aquaculture career has taken him
to two countries – Canada and Norway - and
provided varied opportunities, all with Marine
Harvest. As a Fish Technician at Sayward South
Hatchery for the past seven months, Kyle enjoys
the challenges and successes of feeding fish that
weigh less than ½ a gram.
“I started in processing, then worked on the
sites and now I’m at a hatchery so I’m working
my way backward in the fish’s life cycle”, he said
with a laugh.
Kyle was introduced to the industry while
abroad, after extending a trip to visit family
CANADA
Last month, Marine Harvest Canada responded
to news media coverage of recent reports
concerning a fish virus found in salmon from
grocery stores in British Columbia.
The core of this story is the detection of piscine
reovirus (PRV) using an undisclosed sampling
method on farm-raised Atlantic salmon.
Contrary to claims made by the source of
these findings, the detection of PRV is not an
in Norway. He worked for Marine Harvest
Norway in a processing plant for three years
and also worked with cod and halibut. Upon
returning to Canada in 2005, Kyle worked at
Georgie Lake and took aquaculture courses at
Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo. He
also worked on a sea site and most recently at
the hatchery in Ocean Falls, which he describes
as a “magical” and “special” place. Kyle enjoys
giving salmon farming presentations to high
school students in his spare time.
Kyle was born in
Yellowknife, in
the Northwest
Territories, and
completed high
school in Kitimat in
the early 1990s. His
family was a mobile
one. Kyle and his
fiancée Amanda, a
high school teacher,
Kyle Girgan
are planning a
December wedding. They live in Nanaimo and
enjoy exploring the area with their five year old
dog, Lulu, a border collie cross.
“I’m so thankful for the opportunity I’ve had
to work with the world-class people at Marine
Harvest, particularly here in BC,” said Kyle.
Marine Harvest Canada
Comments on Fish Virus Findings
indicator of a disease such as Heart and Skeletal
Muscle Inflammation (HSMI).
concern.” The presence of PRV in fish does not
pose a risk to human health.
Detection of PRV is not new and it is known to
be widespread in wild and farm-raised marine
fish species including farm-raised salmon.
“PRV is sometimes detected in healthy fish
showing no clinical signs of disease,” says Dr.
Diane Morrison, Fish Health and Food Safety
Director, “and the presence of PRV does not
equal the presence of a disease nor disease
Marine Harvest Canada farm-raised salmon
are continually monitored and cared for to
ensure optimal health. Fish health indicators
that would be associated with HSMI or another
disease concern are not present. Fish health
data and audit results of our farm-raised
salmon are available to the public online.
MarineHarvestCanada.com
3
Kitoi Boxes
Last year, Marine Harvest was pleased to
provide five ‘Kitoi’ boxes (for salmon egg
hatching) to the Kitasoo Salmon Hatchery in
Klemtu. The boxes just produced their first
batch of fish and did “very well”, according to
hatchery administrator Brent Mason.
1,250,000 Chum eggs collected last fall from
returning salmon to Trout Bay were hatched
and grown to fry stage before being moved to
larger troughs for first feeding. Within a few
days of feeding, they will be transferred out to
sea netpens where they will continue to be fed
for 45 to 60 days prior to release. Brent says that
he would expect about 5% of the released fish
will return to Trout Bay to be caught by locals,
or to spawn either naturally or at the hatchery.
Brent Mason removes the last remaining
fish hatched in one of the new Kitoi boxes
Donations Welcomed to help MHC duo Conquer Cancer
MHCer Jacob Koomen
and his wife Jannie
are once again joining
2000 other riders in
the Conquer Cancer
ride from Vancouver to
Seattle on June 16th-17th. The duo has a goal of
raising $5000 for this great cause and donations
are welcomed at www.conquercancer.ca
(participant # 260227-7 and 260228-8).
One week after that Jacob is tackling a 400 km
ride (one day) from Kelowna to Delta for the
Canadian Cancer Society. Donations can be
made at www.ride2survive.ca or on donation
sheets at the Campbell River office.
Ladies and Gents, Start Your Engines!
MHC is once again proud to support Saratoga
Speedway. Twenty-five event passes are now
available for the MHC sponsored June
2nd race (crash to pass!) and 6 season
passes are available for each event
(excluding Monster Trucks).
Contact Ian at [email protected]
to reserve tickets for June 2nd.
Contact Stephaney at Stephaney.
[email protected] to
reserve season passes, or visit her at
the Campbell River office front desk.
For full schedule visit www.
saratogaspeedway.bc.ca.
No April Fools Joke
Chris Mathews had a
4:15am wake up while
at Mahatta West site on
April 1st.
It was his wife Brandy
calling to let Chris
know this was not an April Fools prank call
4
and she was heading to the hospital three
weeks early!
Layla May Mathews was born on April 1st at
10:15am weighing in at 6lbs 3oz.
Congratulations to Chris and Brandy from
the Quatsino Sound Crew!
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Long Lost Brothers?
These fine looking fellas could be related,
but they’re not. Can you name them
both? Join the Facebook page discussion
to find out at http://www.facebook.com/
MHCanada
Answer: Humans, apes and dolphins
MHC Pylons in action
The Marine Harvest Pylons were back in familiar
form at the 4th annual Stewart Wallace Memorial
Basketball Tournament held in Klemtu in April.
Without the added help of our friends from UBC’s
Thunderbirds this year, the squad succumbed to
the outrageous skill (and youth) of our friendly
opponents, the Bella Bella ‘Nation’.
If a basketball game only lasted 60 seconds, the
Pylons would have won 5-0. But with 39 additional
minutes unfairly tacked on, the Marine Harvest
staffers allowed for a 3 digit trouncing – 102 to 70.
The annual ‘friendly’ game has been a tradition to
begin the three-day tourney, which hosts mens and
ladies teams from Klemtu and Bella Bella. Bella Bella
‘Nation’ (mens) and Bella Bella ‘ATN’ (ladies) teams
were victorious.
All smiles!
Meddy taking control of the game
Hey Duane, there’s a game going on…
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Family members arrived at Klemtu to cheer the team on.
Pictured (l-r) is Kaleb, Riley, Mike, Fabian, Sheri, Star, Jake,
Rudi, Emily, Hailey, Soryn, Skyler and Paige.
5
Salmon Barbeque Success!
MHC volunteers hosted another very
successful salmon barbeque for charity last
month. Over 200 salmon burgers were served
to help support the Kidstart program. KidStart
is a volunteer-based mentoring program that
connects vulnerable children and youth with
positive adult role models. In April, Terry
Kratzmann ran Vancouver Island from tip to
tip to raise awareness and funds for KidStart.
Dear Marine Harvest; Your crew ROCKED!!!! Expectations were
exceeded in every way. The grand total that
you raised for KidStart Campbell River was
$1050.00. WOot WOot!!! Awesomeness!!!!
Hugs and gratitude,
Tara Jordan
John Howard Society / KidStart Run
Volunteers serve up some delicious salmon burgers.
MHCers Chris Leighton (left) and Mike Mulder (right) were
pleased to meet (and feed!) Terry Kratzmann when he ran
through Campbell River in April.
Please stop by, enjoy a salmon burger and help support the following charities and societies at the following events in 2012:
March 17
Done!
Done!
Vanier Park, Courtenay
Y.A.N.A / St Joseph’s Hospital Foundation
Spirit Square, Campbell River
John Howard Society
May 26
Port Hardy
Cancer Society - Relay for Life
May 30
Spirit Square, Campbell River
Head Injury Society
June 23
Vanier Park, Courtenay
Cancer Society - Relay for Life
June 30
Dick Murphy Park, Campbell River
Dragon Boat Society
July 1
Robert Ostler Park, Campbell River
BC Firefighters Burn Fund
July 7
Willow Point Sportsplex, Campbell River
Cameryn’s Cause for Kids Society
July 14
Centennial Pool, Campbell River
Salmon Kings Swim Society
July 28
Coastline Mazda, Campbell River
Hospice Society
August 18
OrcaFest, Port McNeill
Harvest Food Bank
September 9
Nunn’s Creek Park, Campbell River
SPCA - Paws for a Cause
April 14
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