Salmon Farming

Located in the pure waters of Big Glory Bay, Stewart Island, Sanford's two salmon farms produce some of the finest Pacific-King salmon.

Contained in cages made of netting (similar to that used by fishermen), the salmon are safe from harm in a remote natural environment, the location ensuring a constant supply of clean sea water fed from Antarctic southern-ocean currents. Tidal movement helps keep the cages clean and continually changes the water the salmon are living in.

Frequent grading ensures any slow growing fish are removed early and makes it possible to keep consistant size in each cage. Fed fish pellets dispensed from automatic feeding bins, the salmon grow to a size suitable for harvesting of 3-6 kg after about 18-months.

At harvesting time, a herbal anasthetic derived from cloves is used to relax the salmon, preventing it from experiencing any stress during handling prior to instant ikejime killing. Afterwards, the salmon are packed into an ice slurry and transported to Sanford's Bluff processing factory. About 1,500 tonnes of salmon are harvested each year.

Visiting the salmon farms can be arranged, with tours departing from the township. The 10 km travel by water-taxi lets you view close-up the farming operation. About 20 staff are employed on the two farms, including divers responsible for checking the nets and repairing any damage done by hungry seals.