MH Newsletter March, 2009

CANADA
March 2009
In This Issue
Business Certainty In Tough Times . . . . . 1
Antibiotic Use In Simple Terms . . . . . . . . . 2
Hello and Farewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Are You The Biggest Loser? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Wee Tipple Loves Our Salmon . . . . . . . . . . 4
Just For Fun...Right? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Tickets: Fundraiser / Dinner . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Congratulations to Conan Baird . . . . . . . . 4
Feed Manager Looks on
Bright Side of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Science Fair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
It’s ‘Chile’ here! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Strathcona Toyota & MHC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Did you Know?
Google is actually the common name
for a number with a million zeros.
Can you solve this Puzzle?
You have 50 normal spiders. How many
spider legs and spider eyeballs do you have??
Answer on Page 3
Comments about
this Newsletter?
Please email comments, articles and ideas
to Ian Roberts, Communication Manager
at [email protected]
Wharfside
Business Certainty In Tough Times
By Vincent Erenst
In October of last
year the prices for
farmed salmon in
the USA and Canada
started to go down
and the trend has
continued up to
the beginning of
February. Where
the market price for a 10-12 lb. whole, gutted
salmon in August 2008 was around USD
2.55/lb., by the beginning of February 2009
the price had dropped to USD 1.75/lb. We had
not seen this price level since 2004.
We believe there are two reasons for this
drastic decrease; a reduction of demand from
restaurants and catering companies that have
seen their business reduced by 20-35 % and
an increased supply of Chilean fillets into
the US market. Unfortunately the Chilean
industry continues to experience severe
production difficulties, which has forced
them to anticipate or accelerate harvests. As
a result the market has been inundated with
small fillets.
Due to this situation in market we have had
difficulty moving our fish. In the period
November - February we have harvested
around 4,500 MT less than our original
plan. In the beginning of February the
situation was so difficult, that we had to stop
processing in Port Hardy for two days and
we also suspended processing in Klemtu for
three weeks. Fortunately, in our farms we
MarineHarvestCanada.com
have some flexibility and so far we have been
able to hold these extra fish, without major
inconvenience.
In the second week of February, however, the
situation reversed and demand has gone up
significantly. It looks like the flow of fresh
fillets from Chile has stopped. Combined
with supermarket promotions for Lent,
we can now not harvest sufficient fish to
satisfy the needs of our customers! We are
in the process of maximizing harvesting
and processing capacity and foresee large
harvests for the next 3-4 months, combined
with normal volumes for the rest of the year.
This increased rate of harvesting is not only
for market opportunity purposes, but to also
ensure we get through the significant volume
of harvest size fish we have available, before
water temperatures rise and the risk of algae
blooms threatens our fish.
It is very difficult to predict what the market
will look like from the summer and onwards.
I believe we will make up for lost volume
over the next months, but as for prices, this
remains to be seen. Because of low prices in
January and February we are significantly
down on our budgeted revenue.
Strong fluctuations in the market are an issue
we have to deal with in our business. From
time to time this may put a lot of stress on all
of us and I ask you all to bear with us and put
all your efforts towards getting the fish to the
market, while keeping a very vigilant eye on
costs.
Antibiotic Use in Simple Terms
By Gina Forsyth
Low antibiotic use is the rule, not the exception,
at Marine Harvest Canada, and there is data to
back it up. Marine Harvest Canada fish harvested
in 2007 received an average of 50 grams of
antibiotic per metric ton.
If you equate that to what a 5.0 kg fish would
have received it’s only the weight of a standard
tablet of Ibuprofen, or 0.255 grams per 5.0
kilogram fish. Not a lot.
“Our fish health status is currently very good and
our need for antibiotic treatments is low”, says
Dr. Diane Morrison, Fish Health Director.
When it comes to antibiotic use, fish aren’t
all that different from people in a key way:
antibiotics are used solely to treat bacterial
infections, not viruses or parasites. For example,
we won’t receive an antibiotic prescription from
our doctor for a cold but we will for strep throat.
At MHC there are two conditions where
antibiotic use is sometimes required: mouth
rot (a concern for smolts) and BKD (bacterial
kidney disease, seen in grow-out fish). In the
past antibiotics have been used for furunculosis
and vibrosis, however, with the use of effective
vaccines this is rarely the case. The majority of
antibiotic use occurs in the first six months at sea
when fish adjust to the saltwater. All antibiotics
have a required withdrawal time, during which
the fish cannot be harvested, as with other agriindustries (chicken, beef, pork). This ensures
food safety for the consumer.
Avoidance is the key, says Morrison. Solid
management all the way through the production
cycle, and consistently followed biosecurity
procedures go a long way towards keeping the
occurrence of disease low. Antibiotic treatments
only occur when mortality or productivity
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Photo (l-r) Gerry Burry, Dr. Diane Morrison, Brad Boyce
Tiffany MacWilliam
Cilka La Trace
warrant it. An essential part of the picture is
looking for the why – what caused the outbreak
in the first place and how do we prevent it in the
future. “No antibiotic use is our long term goal”,
adds Morrison.
metric ton of salmon produced.
And based on industry use, which is tracked by
the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Lands,
it’s not an unrealistic goal.
In 1995, when MAL began record-keeping,
industry wide antibiotic use was 456 grams per
MarineHarvestCanada.com
In 2007, that had dropped to only 110 grams
per metric ton of salmon produced across the
industry.
With a focus on continuous improvement we
should be able to reduce our antibiotic use
even further. Veterinarians need tools in the
toolbox (antibiotics) to manage bacterial disease
outbreaks, but our priority should be ensuring
best management of our fish from egg to harvest.
The crew from the Service IX (Art, Kris and Steve) waiting out
south east winds at Bell Island, Port Hardy.
Submitted by John Dolmage
Photo (l-r) Corine and Blake Creelman
Human Resources Director, Ken Crewe, has been very active
presenting at job fairs in both Courtenay and Campbell River.
Hello and Farewell
Corine and I would like to thank Marine Harvest
for including us in the Christmas Party draw for
hockey tickets. The game was awesome because
we went thinking the Canucks were going to lose
as they have been doing a lot of lately but instead
they laid a beatin’ on Chicago. Vancouver was
leading 6-0 towards the end of the 2nd period
with a final score of 7-3 for the Canucks.
Thanks again!
Blake Creelman
Are You the Biggest Loser?
Submitted by Laura Pelletier
Staff at the Port Hardy Processing Plant
always seem to have something going on!
The “Biggest Loser” competition started
February 5th. As of February 12th there were
29 employees participating and more have
signed up since! As of February 19th the total
pounds lost to date was an incredible 106.1.
Anyone employed with Marine Harvest can
join at anytime. The competition will go on
until May 5th and at that time the employee
who lost the most weight in 3 months will be
awarded a prize. Good luck everyone!
Welcome Kathy Baker (left), our new
Value Added Manager at PHPP and
Farewell to Chrissy Penney (right), seen
here on her last day of work at PHPP.
Trivia Puzzle Answer: 400 legs and 400 eyeballs
MarineHarvestCanada.com
3
Wee Tipple Loves Our Salmon
Just for fun...right?
MHC donates a lot of salmon to numerous
fundraisers each year. The Crimson Coast Dance
Society (CCDS) was very pleased to have served
MHC salmon for their annual “Wee Tipple”
fundraiser held last month in Nanaimo.
MHC employee Phil Heyward (Brougham Point)
attended the function and reported that 60
pounds of salmon (smoked and baked) vanished
quickly.
Photo (l-r) Phil Heyward with Nanaimo MLA Leonard Krog (NDP)
Organizer Willow Chandler was thrilled, “I just
wanted to let you know personally that the Wee
Tipple was a phenomenal success this year and
that the fish was a huge hit. I put the brochures
Phil brought on the table with the salmon and
proudly told people where it came from. All of
the salmon was eaten, so thank you
for the two boxes!”
Photos submitted by
Willow Chandler
(photo: clockwise from bottom, Ian Roberts, Brad
Hallam, Trina Hallam, Angie Wouters, Marc Wouters,
Denise Hayward, Lori Walton) submitted by Ian Roberts
MHC entered a team into the 10th
annual Hospital Foundation Trivia Night.
Individual roles were evident early in the
competition; Angie and Marc were actually
going to answer questions correctly; Brad
and Ian were going to ensure the bartender
met his quota; Denise, Lori and Trina were
going to look pretty. We all performed well
in our duties and placed 28th out of 55
teams. Way to go team!
Photo (l-r) Holly Bright (CCDS), Chef Craig and Phil Heyward
Tickets for the Campbell River
Salmon Foundation 2009
Fundraiser/Dinner
STILL
AVAILABL
E
MHC is a proud partner of the Campbell River Salmon Foundation.
We have 16 tickets (no cost to staff and one guest) for the 2009
Annual Fundraising Dinner Auction & Dance being held in CR
on Saturday, March 21. If you would like
a ticket or two, please contact Ian @
[email protected]
4
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Congratulations to Conan Baird. Conan won
the Valentines Day draw at the PHPP. Richard
Snowden and Carmen Walsh also won gifts.
The Wellness Committee
Feed Manager Looks on Bright Side of Life
talking about his pre-aquaculture days as an
inspector for the South Africa fruit board – or
remembering when he accidentally squeezed
French’s mustard onto himself during his first
company function in 1999, back in the Omega
Salmon days – you can’t help
but smile.
making the move across the Pacific to Canada.
Outside work Tim enjoys movies – the classics
and indie films are particular favorites –as
well as golf at Storey Creek, listening to music,
good food, and reading. Most recently he’s
enjoyed Wild Swans, a
multigenerational tale that
gives a detailed and rich look
into Communist China, and
The Kite Runner.
“That I’m always
approachable and
always have time”
By Gina Forsyth
Tim O’Hara was brought up to see the funny
side of life. Spend even a short amount of time
with him and that becomes clear. Whether he’s
Currently Marine Harvest
Canada’s Feed Manager
based out of the Campbell
River office, Tim was born in
Plymouth, England, on Valentine’s Day. His main
responsibilities include production strategy
and feed formulation. He got his start in the
aquaculture industry as Biological Controller
with Hydro Seafood in Oban, Scotland, a
position which allowed him to use his B Sc. in
Microbiology from University College London.
He was with Hydro for more than 20 years before
Science Fair
Asked if there was one thing he’d like people to
know about him, Tim replied, “That I’m always
approachable and always have time”.
It’s ‘Chile’ here!
Photo – Ryan Gregoire answering questions at Science Fair
The BC Salmon Farmers displayed a booth at the
annual Science Fair held last month in Campbell
River. Two MHC employees were kind enough
to volunteer their time to help man the booth
His parents instilled into Tim
the value of the Golden Rule, something he
continues to use as a guiding principle.
and answer questions from hundreds of kids
and parents. Thanks to Mike O’Keeffe and Ryan
Gregoire (both from Frederick Arm site) for
helping out!
MarineHarvestCanada.com
Submitted by Barb Addison
Our Chilean visitor, Jaime Coronado-Seguel
(Big Tree Creek), looks a little shocked by the
cold West Coast weather.
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MarineHarvestCanada.com
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