Mt Cook Alpine Salmon opened its doors earlier this month to offer 100 locals an insight into its salmon farming operations.
Now in its second year, the initiative gave participants the opportunity to tour one of its salmon farms and learn more about how premium freshwater king salmon is raised in the alpine waters of the Southern Alps, followed by a barbecue and salmon tasting.
Tours at its Ruataniwha farm were held in both the morning and afternoon, with guests able to ask questions directly of general manager aquaculture Jaco Swart and his team. Farm manager Shane Leopold shared insights into day-to-day operations, while Josh Wyber from Skretting provided information about salmon feed. Dr Jasmine Knowles from Aquaculture Veterinary Services spoke about fish health and welfare.
Environmental manager Mikayla Bennett (who also serves on the steering committee of the Mackenzie Basin Catchment Collective) said the open day was designed to encourage greater understanding of farming, land use and environmental management across the Mackenzie Basin.
"We’re creating an opportunity for people to see first-hand how our operation works, to ask questions and to better understand farming and aquaculture within this unique and sensitive environment," Ms Bennett said.
"People were really curious. Salmon farming is often misunderstood, so we wanted to provide clear, transparent information to help address common misconceptions about the industry, its practices and environmental impacts."
Guest Hardus Van Niekerk said his family were pleased to see the way the fish were raised.
"We were happy with what we saw, learnt a lot and it was a great day — we enjoyed it."
Chief executive Todd Grave said the strong turnout showed a growing interest in the region’s aquaculture industry and local food production.
"It’s one thing to taste our freshwater king salmon but to see the care, expertise and hard work that’s put in behind the scenes, I hope it showed why we’re proud of what we do here in Twizel." — Allied Media
