Regional Representative - Suzanne Thomson
Like many people of Dutch heritage, Suzanne is an experienced boater, and has lived aboard a variety of vessels over the past twenty years, taking her children onboard for months at a time while traveling. She has worked in many BC coastal communities (Sechelt, Powell River, Nanaimo and Courtenay) with fishing industry workers, but her favourite program is one she developed for Canada Coast Guard and the City of Vancouver, where she was able to tie all of her interests together, conservation and protection of our water resources, training for seafood industry workers, employment opportunity development and service to the BC maritime community.
Suzanne has been a Program and Training Coordinator for many federal and provincial employment and skill development organizations including YMCA Canada, Fisheries Renewal BC, City of Vancouver, Community Fisheries Development Centre, North American Food Trainers Association, Community Futures Development Corporation, and others. Her responsibilities led her to work with a the following educational partners: Burnaby School District 41, North Shore Continuing Education, Malaspina University College, BCIT and Capilano College.
Today, Suzanne’s responsibilities include acting as the Regional Representative for BC for the National Seafood Sector Council, overseeing day to day operations of WildSmoke Salmon Ltd., the funding mechanism for Pacific Coast Sustainable Fisheries Society, a non-profit organization whose profits are returned to the fisheries resource, and acting as Advertising Manager for the Fisherman, an online and hard copy commercial fishing and shore industry newspaper.
Phone: 604-886-1395 email: mailto:suzthomson@dccnet.com 
Region Description
Seafood processing plants in British Columbia are generally centered around three main locations: the Lower Mainland, northern BC centered around Prince Rupert, and the coasts of Vancouver Island. The size of plants range from small processors (6 - 12 employees) to large companies (300- 450 employees) counting seasonal hires. Industry workers are mostly older workers (45+) and the workers are of many cultures (Asian, Aboriginal, Indo-Canadian, Korean and Vietnamese).
Processors receive and distribute wild and farmed harvests of herring, salmon, halibut, and groundfish from commercial fishers and aquaculture harvesters deliver clams, oysters, prawns, mussels, and other exotic species such as geoduck and sea cucumbers.
Herring is harvested in the early part of the year (February - March), salmon from the end of July to October, and the shellfish are harvested based on their fishery management regulations as they pertain to water conditions and quotas etc.
Most marketing of these fresh and frozen products is targeted at overseas customers even though Canada does not have a large share of the international market. In spite of that fact, BC seafood products are known world wide for their superior taste and quality, and BC seafood processors are rightfully proud of this.
