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MHI fared better than most of the MH units this year and we would have been the outright winners had it not been for the biological challenges that we typically encounter towards the end of the summer. With long term planning there is good scope for building further on the improvements we’ve seen since 2013.

As the entire life cycle of our salmon takes some three years, some of our improvements take time. The granting of the Shot Head license, albeit under appeal, was the most significant development for us in 2015 because it is a very positive signal and gives us renewed energy to complete further applications. There is a lot more progress to be made, especially in terms of renewals and improving the specifications of existing licenses.

Until this is achieved, our production may reduce and fall far short of our licensed capacities so as to apply best biological and husbandry practices – it is better to produce less top quality fish and exactly what our customers would like, rather than maximising the production volume. Yet this has to be balanced as our costs are very sensitive to volume, and there are matters to consider such as striving for all our colleagues in processing to be able to work five days a week instead of the many weeks when we might only have two to three days of work. The vision for MHI’s operations remains one where we have all the licenses we need to on-grow our smolt production, eliminate the need to move fish at sea, apply final stocking at input, and manage fish health with vaccines, freshwater, cleaner-fish and mechanical lice removal technology that is developing rapidly.

Season’s greetings

Marine Harvest Herald

ISSUE 14 - WINTER 2015

Predicting the future is impossible so let us not kid ourselves that new challenges and unforeseen circumstances won’t present themselves, but like a good skipper’s most valuable talent is the ability to anticipate what might happen next, let us also help each other to anticipate what new and further challenges await us as a team as well as individuals.

I would like to wish all our staff and contractors a warm and cosy Christmas with family and friends; a big thank you for being part of MHI and making our business a success and enabling us to look forward to the New Year. We spare a thought for those amongst us who will miss loved ones at this time of year, let us make an extra effort to reach out to them.

Many thanks, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Jan

As the end of 2015 approaches, much of our focus is already on next year and it is important that we apply and learn from this busy year.

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Staff reach 25 year service milestoneDuring the year, several members of staff reached the 25 year service milestone at Marine Harvest Ireland.

The following staff members join the swelling ranks of 43 staff members with over 25 years’ service.

Seamus Gallagher, a native of Falcarragh, Co. Donegal reached 25 years with the company in July 2015.

Nigel Teape, a native of Co.Sligo and a Lab Quality Manager with Marine Harvest celebrated 25 years’ service this summer.

Safety co-ordinator Patrick Shovelin who hails from Rathmullen, Co. Donegal also celebrated 25 years with Marine Harvest in May of this year.

The latest addition to this accomplished group is Tommy Patten, a Mayo native and Shore Manager at the Marine Harvest operations in Clare Island Seafarm who celebrated 25 years’ service in October.

Seamus (4th from left) is pictured with the rest of the freshwater team in Altan Smolt Unit.

Pictured is Nigel Teape – Lab Quality Manager.

A visual impression of the proposed development looking south west over the cliff above Mehil Head.

This was a very important signal for our industry although it does not as yet mark the end of the process to enable us to farm at this site as the license has yet to go through the appeals process by ALAB (Aquaculture License Appeals Board).

MHI itself is appealing a few small prescriptive clauses in the license that don’t anticipate future development and changes in technology, and so may become restrictive in years from now. Since even the smallest change to a license can represent a complex and lengthy process, we thought it best to raise such points from the start. Nevertheless, the outcome and broadly positive public response to the decision represents a coming of age for this process and we hope that future applications, including many renewals and reviews, will be decided more expediently.

Good news for Shot HeadDuring September we received a positive license determination for our Shot Head license application.

48 of these positions were full-time and 43 were seasonal. The 48 full-time positions were newly created and ranged across a variety of roles including admin assistant, fish health manager, evening hygiene operative, marine biologist, harvest operative, processing operative and marine operative. We would like to welcome all those who joined us in 2015 and look forward to 2016 with our growing team.

Positive jobs boost We’re delighted to say that during 2015, Marine Harvest took on 98 employees in total.

Jan Feenstra (MD) congratulates Patrick Shovelin.

Tommy Patten, Shore Manager at the Marine Harvest operations in Clare Island Seafarm.

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The boat is 19 meters in length and includes a canteen and staff facilities.

Felix Sproll joined the team as a Marine Biologist and will be based in Donegal. Felix hails from Mayo and will work with our cleaner fish project in our North West sea sites.

Sandra Schlittenhardt joins MHI as a Fish Health Manager and will be based in Kindrum, Co. Donegal. Sandra is originally from Germany and is a qualified Veterinarian with and MSc in Aquatic Veterinary Studies.

Conquest 2 – ready to begin her own adventure

New year, new faces

In late 2014 MHI purchased a sea harvesting vessel which has been fully rebuilt to modern standards of salmon harvesting.

During the year we welcomed some new faces to the team.

The cream of Ireland’s maritime and marine sector were recognised and celebrated in front of an audience of senior executives.

Successful award win Marine Harvest Ireland picked up the ‘Excellence in Aquaculture’ award at the Maritime Industry Awards on Thursday, 18th June at the Ballsbridge Hotel Dublin.

Pictured; Donal Maguire (right), Director of Aquaculture Development Services, BIM, presents the Excellence in Aquaculture Award to Catherine McManus and Joseph Gibbons.

Daniel McDermottSandra SchlittenhardtFelix Sproll John Barrett Michelle Hay

Daniel McDermott from Burt in Co. Donegal also joined the team during the year as a support biologist working with our cleaner fish projects.

John Barrett was appointed as a marine biologist for our west coast based sites during the year. A native of Achill, John will be based in our Cloughmore office on Achill Island in Co.Mayo.

Michelle Hay began work as our new Technical Support Supervisor in January. While based in Rinmore, Co. Donegal Michelle will support all MHI operations in Donegal, Mayo, Galway, Kerry and Cork.

Marine Harvest Ireland, Rinmore, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. T: 074 915 9805. F: 074 919 2500.

www.marineharvestireland.com

If you have any comments on this newsletter or ideas for future features please contact Catherine McManus at catherine.mcmanus@marineharvest.com or Maurice Kelly at maurice.kelly@marineharvest.com

We hosted a Junior Achievement Ireland event called ‘Working it Out’ for students from St.Davaddog’s Tamney, Drumfad, Scoil Mhuire, Caiseal Doaghbeg, Ballyheerin, Croaghross and Kerrykeel National Schools. The event mixed together the worlds of sport and maths by incorporating long division and penalty shootouts, averages and skipping and ratios and basketball.

In May a group of students from Mulroy College in Milford, Co. Donegal visited our Altan hatchery and smolt unit. This visit was arranged in conjunction with the European Commission ‘Farmed in the EU’ project.

We also had a visit to our sites in Cork from a group of French aquaculture students during the summer. The students from Boulogne in France enjoyed a talk on organic salmon production before they visited the operations in our Roancarrig and Ahabeg sites.

We began a ‘Couch to 5k’ programme to give people a goal to work towards. The programme was led by Paddy Shiels, a qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor. A group of staff and locals trained three nights a week in the run up to the race, a great commitment by all. We also rolled out an ‘Active month’ campaign to encourage employees and their families to engage in any type of physical activity.

The programme culminated in the charity 5k run on Sunday 5th of September and raised €800 from entry fees which was matched by MHI for the purchase of first aid equipment for the seven local national schools and three local national or preschools.

MHI would again like to thank all staff and members of the community who took part, Paddy Shiels for his time and efforts and Fanad United for the use of their facilities.

Reaching out to students

Marine Harvest employee well-being initiative

Throughout the year we had various events and visits from both local and international students.

During the year, we launched an employee well-being initiative to focus on our physical and mental wellbeing.

Pupils from 7 Fanad based schools who participated in the JA Working it Out Programme.

Students from Mulroy College, Co. Donegal handling salmon parr for the first time.

The French aquaculture students from Boulogne enjoy a talk on organic salmon production before they visited the operations in our Roancarrig and Ahabeg sites.

Pictured Left to Right: Pat Connors, Maurice Kelly, Mick Watts- MH Head Office, Phonsie McAteer, David Brennan.

Pictured Left to Right: Angela McElwaine, Amanda Fahey, Catherine Heraghty, Jackie Friel, Kate McGrenaghan.