Art of Raising and Preparing

The art of raising a King - with your health and enjoyment in mind

From the beginning. New Zealand King Salmon has three operational hatcheries in Golden Bay and Canterbury and six (of seven) active sea farms in the Marlborough Sounds, where careful attention is paid to replicating the salmon’s natural life cycle.

At the hatcheries, eggs are collected and fertilised under the control of a very sophisticated broodstock tracking and family selection programme. After hatching as alevin and developing into fry the fish are transferred to rearing races where they grow into smolt. Several months later they are counted and graded to size, then over the next few months, at a time when they would normally be migrating to the ocean, they are transferred to the sea farms in the Marlborough Sounds.

These sea farms are strategically positioned in the remote areas of Queen Charlotte and Pelorus Sounds where tides flush water in from the deep Cook Strait. The temperature and purity of the water is critical. There is no need for antifouling chemicals, waxes or net washing pollutants on the fish production nets. Here the fish are left to grow for up to 18 months. Depending on market requirements, the salmon are harvested at an average of approximately 3.5-4.0 kg. Find out more...

New Zealand King Salmon uses international sources of feed for the fish that will provide them with a healthy, balanced diet. Formulated by the world’s leading salmon feed suppliers, the diet includes proteins, vitamins and carotene from astaxanthin to provide carefully balanced nutrition. Innovative feeding methods are used to avoid waste and improve growth rates. The salmon are not genetically modified and are healthy and disease free, so we can farm in a very natural and wholesome way.

The result is a healthy good size fish with firm flesh, consistent colour and high oil content available year round. Find out more...