Salmon farming is usually about growing fish, but this November, it’s also about growing facial hair – for a good cause, of course.
This month Grieg Seafood BC, Cermaq Canada and Mowi Canada West are competing to see which company can grow the best ‘Salmon Farmer Stache’ with proceeds going towards the Movember Foundation.
Each November, many companies and individuals across Canada participate in Movember, a facial-hair growing initiative that raises vital funds and awareness to combat prostate and testicular cancer, poor mental health and physical inactivity.
“We know all of our salmon farming companies already have teams that participate in Movember. It’s fun for us employees and goes to such a great cause. We figured, why not challenge the other companies to grow the Best Salmon Farmer Stache and have some fun with it?” said Liam Peck, an Environmental Specialist at Grieg who was on the company’s Movember team last year.
Grieg Seafood put out the challenge to Mowi and Cermaq on Oct. 25 via Facebook, and it didn’t take long for the other companies to accept.
“Movember is an important awareness campaign which brings attention to important and serious health issues for men, in a fun and relatable way,” said David Kiemele, Managing Director for Cermaq Canada. “We have been participating in the event for several years, but were excited to hear that Grieg wanted to make it a competition as it is a good opportunity to get to know our peer companies while having some fun and raising needed funds for research and education.”
By the end of November, each company will choose a delegate who best represents their Mo-growing efforts. Of the three furry finalists, a winner will be selected by the BC Salmon Farmers Association, who will then donate $500 to the winning team’s campaign.
“The event holds special meaning for me as my immediate family has been impacted by prostate cancer,” Kiemele said about Movember. “I encourage other companies to get involved and help support to movement.”
“We’ve got some pretty competitive Mo-bros in the salmon farming industry,” added Peck. “If we can rock some great ‘staches while raising awareness for a good cause, it’s a win-win.”