FishWise Partners with Mt Cook Alpine Salmon

FishWise is proud to introduce our newest producer partner, Mt Cook Alpine Salmon (MCAS). MCAS raises high quality freshwater king salmon – a Seafood Watch Green “Best Choice” – in the cold and pristine glacial melt water of the Southern New Zealand Alps. This growing environment results in a unique taste and texture profile highlighted by fine marbling and high amounts of Omega-3 fatty acids. A combination of unique production characteristics has enabled this net-pen farmed salmon to receive the Green rating.

King salmon from California’s Sacramento River were originally introduced to New Zealand in the mid-1800s by President Roosevelt to establish new recreational and commercial fisheries. King salmon since became fully established and are now considered desirable by New Zealand. Commercial culture of king salmon began in 1978 and today MCAS king salmon are raised in man-made canals originally designed to provide the surrounding area with hydroelectric power. Low-density growing conditions in fast flowing water have eliminated waste build up and the need for pesticide, antibiotic, and vaccine use. Importantly, a low fish in:fish out ratio (FIFO) of 1.68:1 make them one of the best farmed salmon options available.

MCAS is a vertically integrated aquaculture operation producing 1,000 tons of king salmon every year from the original strain of California king salmon. The majority of MCAS king salmon are exported to the U.S. market and every fish arrives with full traceability back to its unique batch. The king salmon are harvested at 7-9 lbs. and are available in skin-on, pin-bone out frozen fillets and refreshed portions. The MCAS processing facility has the capability tailor products to meet customers’ needs and will consider suggested product formats. There is no minimum purchase amount and the company will point you towards the proper distributor in your region.

The future looks bright for Mt. Cook Alpine salmon as they aim to continue improving the sustainability of their operation, fine tune the food conversion ratio, increase production to 2,000 tons/year, and introduce new products to market including smoked salmon and salmon caviar. For more information please contact Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon here.