News

Students get hooked on Cermaq

By Katherine Doyle

Canada’s second largest salmon producer, Cermaq Canada, visited the Agricultural Campus February 2^nd & 3^rd to recruit students for positions in their aquaculture operations in British Columbia.

Cermaq Canada has been recruiting highly qualified aquaculture employees from the Aquaculture program at the Faculty of Agriculture since 2005. Over the past 11 years they have employed up to 10 summer students and have also presented full time job offers to those graduating.  Currently, Cermaq have 6-8 full time employees that have graduated from Dalhousie Agricultural Campus working in and around Vancouver Island.

Aquaculture Senior Lab Instructor, Scott Jeffery, spoke of the relationship between the Faculty of Agriculture and Cermaq Canada. “We have a very strong relationship with Cermaq and they’ve had nothing but positive experiences from the students hired over the years. I feel very honored that Cermaq Canada visits our campus to recruit every year as that speaks volumes about the quality of the undergraduate students in our Aquaculture major program”                     

Assistant Professor in Shellfish Aquaculture, Dr. Sarah Stewart-Clark, mentioned Cermaq’s need for our experienced students. “They have a large Dalhousie cohort of alumni who work for them- and these students are being head hunted by the three main salmon farming operations in British Columbia. We can’t supply them with graduates as fast as they need staff.”

Right now all three companies are competing for our best graduates. Our students were also hired by Scotian Halibut and CanAqua operations in Nova Scotia.

“Students especially appreciate the opportunity for experiential learning that comes from being part of Cermaq’s team farming Atlantic salmon in the Aquaculture industry on the West Coast. They feel so lucky & honored to have choices of employment prospects throughout their undergraduate degree and full time employment offers after graduation,” Scott explains.

The Aquaculture program offered here at Dalhousie Agricultural Campus is recognized across Canada, and has become a great resource for many potential industry employers both here on the East and West Coasts.

“Working with Cermaq Canada this summer was such a beneficial experience. It was fun, educational and very profitable, the work environment was like a family. I would recommend this company to both aquaculture students and others,” says Ian Sewell. Ian is a Dalhousie student, who worked for Cermaq Canada last summer.

“Personally, I am proud of our program and the students that we educate & train for the industry,” Scott added. “I am also thrilled that Dalhousie Aquaculture students are given this amazing chance to work and gain that on the job experience that might lead to a full time career in Aquaculture.”