BC Salmon Farmer
Brad Rempel has been involved in aquaculture for eight years and currently sits on the BC Salmon Farmers Association Youth Council, as well as the Council of Emerging Leaders. As an assistant manager for Mowi Canada West in Campbell River, he is passionate about producing safe, healthy food for people to enjoy. We asked Brad to share with us what his average day looks like, and why he is so passionate about aquaculture. Read the Q & A below:
What are some of the regular activities you do on the farm?
Brad Rempel: Caring for my salmon is the top priority. The fish always come first and are treated like royalty. We work with our feed suppliers and fish health vets to make sure that the salmon are kept as healthy as can be. They receive a special diet each day that meets their nutritional needs. We monitor the water for harmful planktons and the dissolved oxygens before we start any feeding or activity on the pens.
We also do weekly check-ups which give us a good look at the fish and can quickly determine a happy, healthy salmon over one that isn’t happy. If we see the signs of unhappy salmon, we act immediately and have our fish health technicians and vets come and do a more extensive investigation so we can address any issues.
Do salmon farms do anything to protect the environment around them?
BR: Caring for the environment is crucial to our operations. If we didn’t care for the environment around us, we wouldn’t be producing salmon for long. I think there can be a negative narrative around the industry based on some historical actions. But we’ve come so far in the past 10 years and are committed to continuous improvement. There is some amazing technology that helps us make sure that the environment is safe for the salmon and the surrounding marine life.
It’s not just our farm sites that we care about. Each month we do a beach cleanup around the farm. As a salmon farmer, I’ll go out of my way if I find something floating in the water that doesn’t belong there or go onto the beach to pick up any rubbish. We are keepers of our areas and it’s a golden rule to care for the environment completely and truly.
What is your favourite thing about salmon farming?
BR: Providing healthy and sustainable food to the world is my favourite thing about aquaculture. Knowing that we strive to better our product, environmental impacts, and local communities are a few of the examples that make me proud to be a salmon farmer.
