Salmon are moved to trucks from new pens built by Mt Cook Alpine Salmon on Lake Ruataniwha, near Twizel, to be transferred to the company's pens on the Tekapo Canal on Sunday.
The company put two rafts, holding a total of 22 pens, near the canal outlet on the lake late last year to increase production as demand for its product rises.
Technical director Terry Bradley said yesterday salmon were being taken from the new pens to restock Tekapo pens that had been emptied while Genesis Energy undertook work to stop leaks in the Tekapo canal.
In addition to Tekapo and Ruataniwha, the company has pens in the Ohau canal.
A third raft of another 11 pens is under construction and will be put in Lake Ruataniwha by the end of the year.
Next year, the company expects to produce about 1000 tonnes of processed king (chinook) salmon for export after building a processing plant in Timaru.
That represents between 250,000 and 270,000 fish. International demand for king salmon was increasing and New Zealand accounted for more than 60% of world sales, Mr Bradley said.
The company had plans to cater for future demand with consents to expand.
