Mowi Canada West, a division of Bergen, Norway-based salmon farming giant Mowi, has halted operations at its processing facility in Klemtu, British Columbia.
The move was made in response to a request made by the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation community to isolate the town from potential contamination from the coronavirus, according to Mowi Canada West’s April newsletter.
With the Province of British Columbia listing salmon farming as an essential service in late March, Mowi Canada West has been able to continue operating through the heightening of the coronavirus crisis. But it has instituted a number of changes to reduce employees’ exposure to the virus, according to Mowi Canada West HR Director Dean Dobrinsky, who is coordinating the company’s pandemic response.
“We have made more than 50 changes to operations and procedures since introducing our first policy for managing the threat COVID-19 poses, [beginning] 27 February,” Dobrinsky said. “We take the province’s designation of aquaculture as an essential service during this emergency as a serious responsibility. Our commitment to employees is that we will be innovative and decisive in keeping you safe while you do that essential work, and that we will keep you informed every step of the way.”
Mowi Canada West has increased wages for all staff working at its freshwater and seafwater production sites and processing facilities; suspended all non-essential visits to its sites; moved to a two-weeks-on, two-weeks-off work schedule; added enhanced biosecurity measures, and encouraged social distancing between staff.
Mowi Canada West Managing Director Diane Morrison called the measures “challenging and disruptive” but said they will help see the company continue to provide “a vital food product” through the pandemic while keeping the company’s employees safe.
“Most important to me, above all else, is the safety and well-being of each and every one of [the employees,” she said.
Cermaq Canada, a division of Oslo, Norway-based salmon farmer Cermaq, has also incorporated significant modifications to its operations in response to COVID-19.
Cermaq has 25 salmon farm licenses and operates four hatcheries across northern Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, and is applying to add additional farming licenses in Nova Scotia. The company began a coordinated response to the coronavirus on 2 March, according to Cermaq Canada Managing Director David Kiemele. New measures adopted by Cermaq Canada include: Adding more water taxis and company boats to its operations so that employees can be delivered to operating sites in a manner that complies with social distancing recommendations; changing vessel runs to only visit one farm site per trip, instead of dropping employees at multiple farm sites; frequent sterilization of boats and equipment; instituting an “all in, all out” schedule for employee work shifts; and reviewing policies and procedures that predate the coronavirus outbreak that require or encourage employees to work in close contact with one another, according to Kiemele.
Thus far, the company has not shut down any of its operations, and is working with its First Nations partners to ensure its operations remain both viable while its employees and local communities remain safe, Cermaq Canada Sustainable Development Director Linda Sams said.
“On the west coast of Vancouver Island, we have been working closely with the Ahousaht First Nation, who are our friends, neighbors, and colleagues,” Sams said. “We have many employees from the Nation, and we are in constant communication with, and taking direction from, the Nation’s leadership to ensure we are supporting overall community health.”
In regard to its application for permits for four Atlantic salmon farms in Nova Scotia, the company recently received notice from the Province of Nova Scotia’s Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture that it is temporarily suspending its lease optioning process “in recognition of these extraordinary circumstances and the impact it has on the ability to carry out feasibility and engagement work,” Cermaq Canada said in a press release.
The suspension is in place “until further notice,” the company said, adding that it agreed with the decision.
“Right now, Canadians, and countries around the globe are focused – and rightfully so – on the current COVID-19 pandemic and taking the required precautionary steps,” Sams said. “With the challenges and stressors facing Canadians right now, this is not the time to move something forward that requires additional conversation, engagement and input.”
Photo courtesy of Mowi Canada West
