Mt Cook Alpine Salmon

Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon pioneered salmon farming in canals. In 1992, with the encouragement of the canal owners, hydro electric generation company ECNZ (now Meridian Energy) and the founding company Southern Sockeye Salmon Ltd launched a trial salmon farm raft in the Ohau Canal. This raft was stocked with King and Sockeye salmon, the first such syst... em in the world. While much information existed for salmon farming, there was no advice on how to operate a raft capable of holding 70,000 fish, and the flow and hydraulic effects on rafts and the fish was unknown. The first years of operation were trial and error. They made mistakes and learnt along the way. Development of the structures, equipment and farming methods evolved requiring on-site and sometimes urgent problem solving. In 1995 the company started a further trial on the neighbouring Tekapo Canal, which has a maximum flow of 130 cumecs, compared with the Ohau Canal maximum of 220 cumecs. This became the highest salmon farm site in the world at 677 metres above sea level. As experience grew, redevelopment and improvement could be carried out and new trials undertaken with a better understanding of the farming environment. New ownership and renaming to Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon Ltd in 2009 signified a new era for the farm. Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is now regarded as one of the most premium salmon producers in the world.Read More