The Lifecycle of our Ocean Raised King Salmon

The lifecycle of our salmon starts in the freshwater hatchery located just north of Christchurch. Progeny from our finest hand-selected brood fish are used for production.

Eggs produced are carefully incubated for one month in the hatchery. Once hatched they grow very quickly in the hatchery’s large outdoor raceways. After 6-9 months in the hatchery our fish are around 50g and ready for transfer to our ocean net pens.

Our juvenile salmon (called ‘smolt’) are delivered to Wainui wharf where they are then transferred via a long pipe into a waiting pen.

Our adult salmon are then grown in net pens located in Akaroa Harbour at Lucas and Titoki Bay, for around 14-16 months. Each pen is 80m circumference, 10m deep, and designed to blend into the environment.

Our salmon are fed 1-3 times each day using a blower feeder. Feed used is certified sustainable and safe. To minimise wastage, an underwater viewing camera suspended 5m below the surface detects uneaten pellets.

Nets are cleaned monthly using a robotic net cleaner to minimise algae growth. This ensures good water flow to keep our salmon fit and healthy.

 

Once our prized salmon are big enough, they are humanely harvested and delivered to our Christchurch factory. Our premium salmon are processed and then distributed as chilled fresh and smoked products throughout NZ and abroad.