Children’s book The Farm on the Sea
New Book Teaches Kids about Salmon Farming. Proceeds from ‘THE FARM ON THE SEA’ to be donated to local food banks.
New Brunswick journalist Deborah Irvine Anderson has debuted a new children’s book about salmon farming.
The Farm on the Sea, written by Irvine Anderson and illustrated by New Brunswick artist and graphic designer Lindsay Vautour, is the story of a rare blue salmon named Sunny who guides children through the stages of salmon farming. It’s aimed at readers from ages six to eight.
Proceeds from the Christmas sales of The Farm on the Sea will be donated to CBC’s annual Harbour Lights Campaign that raises money for food banks across southern New Brunswick.
“Children need to know where their food comes from. More than half of the seafood we eat today comes from aquaculture. Children are often taught about farms on land but not about farms on the ocean,” says Irvine Anderson, who was inspired to write the book after touring a farm a few years ago.
“I had no idea that farmed salmon was the biggest agriculture-based export in Atlantic Canada. It rivals the iconic potato in my home province of New Brunswick: yet, many people have no idea how it’s farmed,” said Irvine Anderson. “I grew up reading books about potato farming and other farming on land. I wanted to write a book that I could read to my own children about a farm on the sea.”
Irvine Anderson approached the Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) with a book proposal.
“We loved her idea and her passion for educating children about salmon farming,” says Susan Farquharson, ACFFA’s Executive Director. “The book is engaging and informative, and our members are proud to partner with the book’s creators on this project and to raise money for local food banks too.”
“As a former journalist and producer at CBC Saint John, the Harbour Lights Campaign is near and dear to my heart. I’m thrilled that proceeds from this book will be going to such a terrific cause,” says Irvine Anderson.
Copies of The Farm on the Sea is available for purchase at Indigo in Saint John, and can also be purchased by contacting ACFFA.
ACFFA gratefully acknowledges the NB Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries for its support of this project.
Irvine Anderson, a Quispamsis resident, is a veteran journalist with a passion for people and sharing their stories. She spent more than 20 years at the CBC both behind the scenes and on-air, leading award-winning newsrooms from coast to coast. She has worked in newsrooms from PEI to BC, becoming the youngest Executive Producer at the CBC when she returned home to Saint John. While at the CBC, she also worked as a morning host and newsreader for the local and provincial morning and afternoon shows, producing the popular feature Deborah Discovers. She now teaches marketing and communications at the New Brunswick Community College in Saint John.
Lindsay Vautour is an award-winning graphic designer, artist and illustrator whose work has been featured regionally, nationally and internationally. For the past eight years, she has created all the communications materials for ACFFA and worked on a variety of other projects in the aquaculture industry. A Rothesay resident, Vautour operates her own design and branding agency Pop Studio and is the Art Director of The EDIT magazine.
“I’ve learned so much about salmon farming since I started working in this sector. Many people don’t know how salmon are farmed and don’t realize how many aspects this industry includes – from hatcheries and marine farms to research labs and processing plants,” says Vautour. “I loved creating Sunny the Salmon, and I know this book will be educational for both children and their parents alike.”
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmers Association (ACFFA) is an industry-funded association working on behalf of Atlantic Canada’s salmon farming industry in addition to a wide range of service and supply companies and organizations. Salmon farming employs over 4000 people in our region and has a value of over $400 million to provincial economies.
A launch event for The Farm on the Sea was held at Indigo Saint John, NB on Saturday, November 23, 2019 where the public met the author and illustrator.
Cost of the book is $5.
For more information, please contact:
Deborah Irvine Anderson
506-639-5378
deborah@canteen.media
Susan Farquharson
ACFFA Executive Director
506-755-3526
info@atlanticfishfarmers.com