Advocate Kaitlin Guitard champions sustainable aquaculture practices

Since childhood, Guitard had wanted to work with animals, initially aspiring to become a veterinarian. Guidance from a career counsellor in grade 10 directed her to the pre-vet and animal science programs at ����tv’s Faculty of Agriculture.

“I'll never forget the day the counsellor turned the screen and showed me pictures of the campus. I saw a picture of a cow in a classroom setting, and I was so excited,” Guitard shares.

“I remember going home and telling my parents ‘I'm going to this university, this is it.’”

At the Agricultural Campus, she worked closely with animals and explored various facets of food production, learning that raising healthy animals is key to profitability and welfare. Her training in biology, particularly microscope work, seamlessly translated into her career.

After graduation, Guitard swapped one coast for another, relocating from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. The transition from agriculture to aquaculture was both challenging and very rewarding.

“The steepest learning curve was, I guess, living on a fish farm. It’s completely different than anything I’ve ever experienced. You need a whole new set of skills: learning how to drive a boat, navigate tides, and work with the ocean.”

Guitard spent the first three years at Mowi living and working on the water. She started as a sea-site technician, responsible for growing healthy salmon straight from a hatchery at a remote site. She monitored ocean environment, fed the fish, and maintained the floating house she lived in. Soon she was promoted to water quality technician. In this role, every morning she would steer her new boat from site to site, collecting water samples and monitoring oxygen levels and potential threats, such as plankton and jellyfish. Every now and then, the ocean’s unpredictability threw her schedule into disarray, highlighting the need for annual tsunami drills and constant agility.

“You witness the most captivating and picturesque scenes of whales, dolphins, and birds,” she says. “It's almost like all your senses are heightened when you are out there, the sights, sounds of loons calling, and the feeling of the powerful ocean beneath you always.”

Now, as a food safety and fish health lab manager, Guitard works further from the ocean. She monitors food safety for Mowi’s primary and secondary processing plants and manages the salmon health samples collected by the veterinarian and fish health team.

With five years of experience in aquaculture, Guitard has established herself as an advocate for her industry.

In 2021, she was one of the Mowi employees who voiced concern about the federal decision to close some farms in B.C.’s Discovery Islands. Kaitlin illustrated the ripple effect on the coastal communities and the salmon farming industry, urging the Government of Canada to reconsider the decision.

Guitard also raises awareness about the importance of First Nations communities in sustainable aquaculture. "There is no doubt that First Nations are going to lead the way aquaculture is done on the West Coast of B.C.,” she says. “Mowi supports First Nations by taking an active role in their communities, providing employment opportunities and backing their efforts to reclaim their rights in their ocean territories.”

As a member of she educates communities about aquaculture, breaking down the science and debunking common misconceptions. “There is a lot of misinformation about our practices: how we raise fish, the amount of impact that we have on the oceans,” she says. “People don't know how much monitoring goes into our fish, how many steps we take to ensure that our fish are healthy and safe for people.”

As a result of her advocacy and dedication to the industry, Guitard was named Young Professional of the Year by the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association in June 2024. The award, presented during the association’s annual general meeting, is presented to a young professional who has made a positive impact on salmon aquaculture in British Columbia.

“I was honoured to be recognized by my colleagues, peers and leaders in the industry,” says Guitard.

“This award symbolizes what I believe in most – advocating for Canadian aquaculture and sharing the importance of sustainable food production.”

Guitard is excited for her future in aquaculture. “I'm interested in looking at the industry in different parts of the world, so this year I’m visiting Norway to see some processing plants. I want to continue to learn and grow in this industry. I'm excited to see new technologies develop.”

And most importantly, she feels proud to be contributing to feeding the world.

“What I really took away from my education was the importance of food availability and fighting food scarcity,” she says. “That message led me to the path I am on today.”