OUR SALMON
Best of Breed
New Zealand King Salmon have been perfecting sustainable husbandry practices and breeding expertise for a quarter of a century. New Zealand King Salmon’s classical breeding programme has produced nine generations of King salmon, creating over 100 distinct salmon families, chosen so that only the finest examples — with the most appealing taste, texture, colour and size — are carried forward to the next generation.
Through this programme we have created a unique breed, called Ōra King, genetically distinct from any other King salmon found in New Zealand or the world.
New Zealand King Salmon has been perfecting sustainable husbandry practices and breeding expertise for a quarter of a century. New Zealand King Salmon’s classical breeding programme has produced nine generations of King salmon, creating over 100 distinct salmon families, chosen so that only the finest examples — with the most appealing taste, texture, colour and size — are carried forward to the next generation.
Through this programme we have created a unique breed, called Ōra King, genetically distinct from any other King salmon found in New Zealand or the world.
Carefully Raised
in tune with Nature
Broodstock
Our breeding programme begins at our freshwater facility in Takaka, where King salmon eggs are nurtured in crystal clear waters flowing from Te Waikoropupū Springs — water that has been verified as some of the clearest in the world.
Hatchery
Fertilised eggs are hatched at our freshwater facility in Tentburn where the alevin are carefully reared in a constant supply of fresh spring water.
Sea farms
Within their first year, smolt are transported to the Marlborough Sounds to mature in fast flowing sea waters, thus emulating the lifecycle of wild King salmon.
Ōra King Grade
The highest quality salmon are hand selected by a master grader and branded Ōra King. These unique salmon are individually numbered for traceability.
Broodstock
Our breeding programme begins at our freshwater facility in Takaka, where King salmon eggs are nurtured in crystal clear waters flowing from Te Waikoropupū Springs — water that has been verified as some of the clearest in the world.
Hatchery
Fertilised eggs are hatched at our freshwater facility in Tentburn where the alevin are carefully reared in a constant supply of fresh spring water.
Sea farms
Within their first year, smolt are transported to the Marlborough Sounds to mature in fast flowing sea waters, thus emulating the lifecycle of wild King salmon.
Ōra King Grade
The highest quality salmon are hand selected by a master grader and branded Ōra King. These unique salmon are individually numbered for traceability.
Ōra King is to
Salmon as Wagyu
is to Beef
The naturally high oil content in Ōra King salmon can be seen in the striking marbled fat lines within the bright orange flesh, instantly drawing comparison to Wagyu.
View our range of Ōra King products here.
Trace your Ōra King
Transparency around our salmon is integral to what we do. To ensure the authenticity of your Ōra King we have launched a ‘Traceability’ page, where you can track your salmon back to the source by looking up your unique gill tag number.
TYEE are extraordinarily large salmon that continue to grow beyond the normal life-cycle of other salmon. This phenomenon occurs naturally in the wild, and in our aquaculture environment in New Zealand. New Zealand King Salmon is the first company in the world to grow King salmon to this size with very limited numbers available.