The vast majority of King salmon farmed in New Zealand, are raised in sea pens in the Marlborough Sounds, Stewart Island and Akaroa.
The farms are located in areas selected for their isolation, water quality and flow. Farm site selection is so critical that only a handful of sites around the country are considered suitable for salmon operations.
A New Zealand farmed King salmon starts life in a fresh water hatchery where it will remain until around 8-13 months before being transferred to a salt water farm. These sea farms are designed specifically for New Zealand conditions with pens up to 17 meters deep with a depth to the seafloor ideally another 10 meters plus. The depth of the pens provide improved growing conditions allowing the fish to move below the surface water and away from surface related stress and warmer water temperatures. Stocking density rates are as low as 2% fish and 98% sea water.
New Zealand farmed salmon are fed food pellets specially formulated for King salmon which contain no growth promotants. All feed ingredients are sourced from sustainable sources.
The New Zealand Salmon Farmers Association follows world-class Finfish Aquaculture Environmental Codes of Practice, and farms are managed to meet rigorous resource consent conditions.
