Creative Skipper, Colin Kiss, with the Harvest King vessel in the background.
Creative offered a special career opportunity to team member Colin Kiss, something that he never could have imagined, and it all started in 2016.
That was the year Colin got a job as a Farm Technician. As a Farm Tech, Colin was responsible for general farm operations including feeding and care of fish, net cleaning, basic maintenance, assistance during harvesting, operating boats and equipment, and other tasks.
Then one thing led to another.
“I was a Farm Tech, then a maintenance guy,” says Colin. “Then I left for a little while, and when I came back, I operated the automated-net-washing equipment, from there I got out on the boats as a deck hand.”
Now, thanks to Creative’s career development programming, when Colin gets out on the water, he’s often at the wheel of a boat as a Relief Skipper with a Fishing Master 4 which means he can operate both the Harvest King, Creative’s service and supply vessel, and the Tamanawas, Creative’s harvest vessel.
Colin’s training, through Safer Ocean Systems in Nanaimo, included the Master Limited 60 Ton course and the Fishing Master 4 course. Each took about a month to complete and included vessel safety, chart work, navigation, advanced first aid, and radio and machine operation.
“It is a lot of responsibility operating Creative Salmon’s supply and harvest vessels,” say Colin. “You must always be two steps ahead when planning your route and keeping the crew and vessel safe is the top priority. The training has given me a lot of confidence in this role.”
While being a skipper was never part of Colin’s plan, he’s proud of his new role and the ability to work, live, and raise his family in Ucluelet.
“Being out on the water like this, where else would you want to work? It checks all the boxes.”
To learn more about working at Creative Salmon, visit https://creativesalmon/careers.
