Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon produces virtually all commercially available Alpine King Salmon in the world.

Picture perfect. The Southern Alps of New Zealand are one of the last pristine environments in the world. The glacier-fed Lake Pukaki shows the beautiful opaque turquoise color that makes it so famous. The Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon farm sits just above the ‘stilling basin’, (the small lake to the right of the picture). It is a stunning place to both work and play.

The sheer isolation of our farm means the water is pristine with no agricultural or environmental pollution.

It is undisputable that Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon looks and tastes different from any other farmed salmon in the world. It is comparable only to wild King Salmon.

Lay it next to any other salmon and instantly it is visibly identifiable for its thin inter-muscular fat lines. The taste is unlike any other salmon. It can be clearly selected in a blind taste test. It is sweet on the palette with an uncluttered taste and has virtually no fish oil aftertaste prevalent in other farmed salmon. The texture is also a clear give away; the firmer more muscular texture gives a pleasant ‘al dente’ feel in the mouth. It has often been noted that when cooking, its low and pleasant odor makes it distinguishable as well. While no one knows for sure, the only conclusion that can be drawn is that there are three significant environmental factors unique to our farm that combine to give our salmon its rare and unique qualities.

Pure glacial water from the Southern Alps of New Zealand

Our water is so pure, you can drink it both above and below the farm, and it is equal to many of the high-endbottled mineral waters. Fed from snow and glaciers it iscold year round; 43°F in winter to a maximum of 61°Fdegrees in summer.

The natural glacial ’till’ (caused through suspended minerals in the water) protects the fish from excessive sun exposure in the height of summer, as the fish dive deeper to avoid the sun’s penetrating rays.

The color of the water feeding our farm is world famous and features in many post cards. Depending on recent snow or natural glacier melt, the alpine lakes’ water color can change from a translucent blue/green to an opaque turquoise. Interestingly the flesh of our salmon can take on both of these translucent and opaque characteristics.

Over the years our staff have come to believe that when there are more fish with this rare opaqueness in the water, we are about to have a great harvest. They are the ones our staff would choose for themselves.

Swift Flowing Currents

Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is situated in a man-made hydro canal running between two alpine lakes, Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki. These two lakes are recognized as two of New Zealand’s most outstanding natural landscapes.

The hydro canal is the perfect environment for salmon farming. Year round the average water flow is 130 cumecs (2.8 million gallons per second), making it the fastest water flow through any salmon farm in the world. It also means our fish swim all day against swift 1.5m/sec (3.5mph) currents, making them physically fitter than any other farmed fish in the world.

The high water flow, combined with the purity of water, means we have never had a disease related mortality at the farm. Not a single fish.

It also means we don’t have to mess with nature. We are eco-sustainable and GMO free. We don’t use antibiotics. Our fish are naturally parasite free and do not have the algae taint present in other fresh water farmed species. Having lived only in pure glacial water all their lives, our salmon are free of chemicals, mercury and other heavy metals.

Altitude

At 1969 feet above sea level, Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is the world’s highest salmon farm. There is nothing but wilderness between our farm and the mountains. High in the mountains is also where elite athletes train to develop higher red blood cell counts. This may be part of the mystery as to why our fish have a different taste and texture; it may also be a factor in why our fish occasionally have the bleeding characteristics similar to King Salmon in the wild.

Grown for taste and texture, not maximum weight gain.

Our Alpine King Salmon has the lowest intramuscular fat of any salmon in the world and twice the amount of Omega3 as Atlantic Salmon.

Saikou Sushi Grade Salmon represents an unbroken chain of care and attention.

“Mt. Cook Alpine Salmon is the benchmark for all salmon” - Scott Murray