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King salmon is indigenous to the
Pacific Ocean’s northern region and the biggest of
the salmon family of the Pacific.
In the late part of the 19th century, several
attempts were tried to indoctrinate the King Salmon
as a game fish in New Zealand, and millions of young
fry salmon were introduced into the rivers of South
Island, without success.
Nevertheless, success
eventually came in the latter part of the 1800s,
when fry, spawned from eggs shipped from California,
were let go of into the sources of the Rangitata,
Waitaki, Waimakariri, and Rakaia rivers, and finally
came back from the sea to multiply. |
Decreasing stores of wild fish in the oceans of the world
oceans has promoted the current growth of fish farming, and
in the near the beginning 1970s sea cages started to be
employed in Scotland and Norway for spawning Atlantic
salmon.
In Stewart Island in 1983, New Zealand established
the first sea cage salmon farm, succeeded by many more in
the Marlborough Sounds.
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The only sea-farmed salmon species in New Zealand is
the King salmon.
The King Salmon of New Zealand is
the world’s major provider of this variety, adding
towards the over 1.5 million tons of several species
of salmon now raised worldwide yearly.
The Waikoropupu Springs Hatchery in Takaka, Golden
Bay, New Zealand was the first commercially
certified salmon farm, and the first certified
marine farm was the company’s branch in Marlborough
at Ruakaka Bay.
Sometimes called Chinook, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha
(Pacific King Salmon), are adjusted to living in
both salt and fresh water.
They are a kind of fish identified as anadromous, which
means they migrate from the sea to fresh water to spawn.
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In its natural habitat, eggs hatch in the latter part of
winter or spring and the new salmon, called alevin, stay
hidden in their nests of gravel for a couple of weeks,
surviving off the vitelline sac which is still on them.
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When this food source is finished up, they come out
of the gravel and throughout the summer the young
fish can be spotted in rivers and streams. After 3
or 4 months they commence their travel downstream to
the ocean. By this perios in their growth they are
called smolt.
The salmon use up the following few years in the
ocean, budding to adulthood and eventually going
back to their original rivers to breed. In latter
part of summer and autumn they find their way to the
headwaters.
In the parts where the water is swift flowing and
shallow, the female salmon writhes her body in the
gravel to produce a hole, and in these holes she
places between three thousand and seven thousand
eggs, which are subsequently fertilized by the male.
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Throughout their travel from the sea, the full-grown fish
are no longer eating and their condition degenerates.
Breeding is their last act before they perish.
King salmon is a reasonably sized fish with solid flesh
which can be dished in an extensive assortment of cuts from
steaks to fine fillets, whole or portions of fish. The King
Salmon of New Zealand is reactive to the preference of
customers and the salmon can be reaped at any size to
gratify the demands of the consumer.
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