You can eat our salmon with confidence knowing…

Mt. Cook Alpine salmon are eco-sustainably farmed and raised in near perfect growing conditions, high in the Alps in the South Island of New Zealand, with plenty of space, clean fast flowing water and as little human intervention as possible.

New Zealand’s geographical isolation from the rest of the world means our alpine salmon are free of any diseases, chemicals, mercury and other heavy metals, as well as any genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

We do not use antibiotics, vaccines, growth hormones, anesthetizing agents, or anything on the farm that can pollute our pristine water.

There are no salmon diseases or any fish parasites of any significance in the fresh waters of New Zealand.

• Due to our inland location and altitude we do not have predetation problems. We therefore do not need to use lethal action on any marine life or birds.

• Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon has never had disease related mortality at the farm….not one fish…..ever

  A complete ban on the import of salmonoids and gametes into New Zealand protects against the introduction of new diseases. Read more

  Due to our inland location and altitude we do not have predetation problems. We therefore do not need to use lethal action on any marine life or birds.

• Our farm is non-polluting

  Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is situated in a man-made hydro electricity canal that runs between two high alpine lakes. Read more

  With an average of 157 inches of annual rain and snow fall (it rains 149 days a year at the headwaters), the canal runs at up to 130 cubic meters per second (cumecs) with a year round average of 105 cumecs; that is over two million gallons a minute through the farm. The water travels less than 150 miles from its headwaters to the sea.
  
  Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon leaves no agricultural or environmental pollution and has higher standards than regulation requires.
  
  The water exiting our farm is of a higher standard than many bottled mineral waters.

• Our farm makes secondary use of a clean energy source

  The hydro system generates a significant portion of New Zealand’s total electricity needs. It also gives us the highest water flow of any salmon farm in the world.

• Constant exercise makes our fish muscular and lean

  Our salmon swim constantly against the 3 mph flow. Read more

  This constant, vigorous exercise in cold water means our salmon are keen eaters and convert food efficiently into lean muscle.
  
  This results not only in great tasting low-fat fish, but also one of the best food conversion ratios of all the salmon farms in the world. This is important as it means that we have little wastage and our natural output of solids and ammonia is almost undetectable. This is regularly monitored by the government agency, Environment Canterbury (ECan) and the results are posted on our website.
  
  Any undigested feed supports our region’s world-class recreational fishery.

• Our farming operation cannot endanger any native fish populations

  The reason is that New Zealand doesn’t have any native populations of salmon or trout. Both species were introduced from North America Read more

  over 100 years ago this was long before there were any diseases that now afflict both native and farmed populations around the world today.
  
  Our extreme isolation and a total ban on the importation of salmonoids and gametes since 1945, has meant that the bloodlines of all salmon and trout in New Zealand have remained disease free.

• Supporting a world-class recreational fishery

  Our salmon farms works in conjunction with the local Fish and Game Council to actively restock wild populations for recreational fishing. Read more

  Ordinarily a wild fishery cannot be sustained in the man-made canals because they contain no natural food sources. Since we began operations in the canal 12 years ago the wild population has thrived and the New Zealand Fish and Game Council began active releases to enhance the fishery. In recent years there has been up to 7,000 days of angling effort on the canal annually, and this recreational fishery is also now vitally important to the local tourism industry.
  
  Today the largest wild trout caught in New Zealand live and breed in the Tekapo Hydro Canal, and are sustained on any uneaten feed and organic waste from our farm, enhancing both the ecosystem of the canal and reducing our already minimal organic waste.

• Our harvesting and processing meets and exceeds all local and national environmental standards

  The fish are not stressed during harvesting. Skilled staff and good farming practices mean we don’t Read more

  stress our fish and therefore do not use any sedatives or oil-of-clove as an anesthetizing agent during harvest (which leaves a strong residue taint in the flesh).
  
  Our staff are up skilled and must pass exams before being promoted to join the harvest crew. Our master harvester says, “to keep the fish calm you must first calm the humans”.
  
  We use only fast, humane killing methods mainly by mechanical stunner, and bleeding.

• We practice ecologically sound processing methods

  Our processing plant meets all New Zealand Food Safety Authority and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries regulations. Read more

  It meets and exceeds regulations demanded by industry certifications including Best Aquaculture Practices required by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, BRC Global Standards for consumer products and is CT-PAT audited.
  
  The plant is HACCP compliant and wastewater is treated onsite before final treatment in a non-polluting local government-run trade wastewater treatment facility.
  
  They use only biodegradable MAF approved chemicals and no artificial additives.

• 100% pure means 100% can be used

  We use 100% of the fish with no part going to waste. Read more

  The small amount that is not used for human consumption goes to the high-end gourmet pet food market.

• Our farm only uses renewable sources of energy

  We supplement hydro electricity with solar power (our shop runs entirely on solar power), Read more

  and use bio-fuel generators on the farm. We are currently applying for CarboNZero status.

• Our feed comes from sustainable sources

  We use only the highest quality sustainable feed. Read more

  Our main suppliers Skretting and Ridley Aqua-Feed are both committed to sustainable aquaculture. They both understand their future success will depend on their ability to produce feed with less marine content and without compromising the fish’s health or the nutritional value of the fish produced.
  
  We only use feed that uses sustainably managed stocks under government control

  • Raw materials are only sourced from reliable suppliers that use sustainable practices. I.e. they do not deplete fish stocks or damage the wider marine environment and are subject to government controls to conserve stocks and prevent overfishing.
  • Most of the fishmeal / fish oil comes from by product of sustainable pelagic species in the Pacific Ocean that do not deplete the natural food sources in the Southern Whale Sanctuary (such as krill).
  • The fishmeal content is 10% only.
  • Research over the past ten years has helped contribute to the increased use of non-marine raw materials for fish feed. A result of that research is an increase of non-marine materials including vegetable oils and proteins.
  • Between 2004-2007 Skretting has increased production of salmon feed by 27% but decreased consumption of fishmeal by 7% and fish oil by 6%.Increase digestibility and food conversion.
  • With our current feed, digestibility is much greater so there is significantly less solid waste produced. We can now grow salmon using 15-20% less feed than was required in the 1980s.

• At 1,969 feet above sea level, Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is the world’s highest salmon farm

  Only wilderness exists between our farm and the mountains. It is a stunning place to both work and play. Read more

  Our farm is owned by a passionate group of private individuals and all management are shareholders. We all share a common love of this region so we care about our farm and the environment.

Downloadable PDF's