Delicious. Nutritious. Sustainable.
Greenshell mussels
New Zealand’s iconic superfood
King salmon
The champagne of salmon
Pacific oysters
A salty kiss from the sea
Greenshell™ mussels
New Zealand’s Greenshell mussels are enjoyed in 76 countries, but unique to our waters. They’re part of our culture, our superfood, and we are proud of them.
Farmed locally
We take baby mussels (spat) and add sea water, just sea water, and 12-24 months later we harvest when they are in perfect condition.
Learn more
In 1969 some clever kiwis towed a concrete mussel raft into the Marlborough Sounds and anchored it in the Kenepuru – and with it the industry was born.
Over the past 54 years we’ve developed and perfected our unique system of longline farming.
Our seed (aka Spat) is bred in hatcheries, collected from beaches on washed up seaweed and caught on dedicated spat catching farms.
Mussels are seeded on lines in an organic stocking, which breaks down naturally as the mussels attach to the lines.
They get all their nutrients by filtering the water which sees them reach maturity in 12-24 months.
When mussels grow to around 100mm in length and are in plump condition, they are harvested off the lines and shipped back for processing and shipping.
Loved globally
Enjoyed in 77 countries:
Mussel Exports by Market - 2023
Mussel Exports by Product - 2023
2023 major export markets for New Zealand Greenshell mussels Source: Statistics NZ
Cooking tips
Get perfect mussels at home every time with these simple tips:
How to choose the right mussels
Follow your nose – aka, if it stinks, avoid!
Look for mussels with closed shells. If open slightly, give them a slight tap, avoid if they don’t close their shells.
Avoid any with cracked or broken shells.
Avoid if shells are gaping open.
Storage
Refrigerate in an open container and cover with a damp cloth. Live mussels need to breathe so don’t store them in a plastic bag or immersed in water.
Use within 48 hours of purchase.
Preparation
Inspect each mussel first, discard any cracked, broken or gaping shells. If in doubt follow your nose.
Rinse, scrub and pull out the beard – you can skip this step if you’re not planning to eat the broth.
Cooking
Less is more when it comes to cooking mussels:
Steaming: Add about 3-4cm of water to the bottom of a pot. Bring to boil. Add mussels and cover with lid. Cook for 2-4 mins. Remove mussels when they open.
BBQ: Place mussels in a disposable oven foil tray with ½ cup of water/wine in the bottom. Close the BBQ hood or cover tray. Allow 2-5 minutes for mussels to steam open.
Preparation and handling guide
The raw shuck
Nutrition
New Zealand Greenshell™ mussels are a superfood - an absolute powerhouse of nutrition!
New Zealand mussels are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and can promote: brain development/health, muscle growth, mental health, thyroid health, a healthy metabolism, and joint mobility.
Nutrition table
Approximate values for blanched NZ Greenshell™ mussels
Variation will naturally occur due to seasonality and location of where mussels are grown
High value nutrition
The superfood powers of mussels has created a secondary industry of high value nutritional products generating approximately $50 million in export revenue. Mussel powders, oils and derivatives are harnessed in supplements for joint care for humans and animals.
Nutraceutical Mussel Product Suppliers
Aroma
20 Senior Place, Bromley, Christchurch, 8062
Dry Food NZ
+64 (21) 499 803
7 Fielder Close, Blenheim 7274
Mills Bay Mussels
23a Inglis Street, Havelock, 7100
Nutri Zing
50 - 58 Parkhouse Road, Christchurch 8042
Sanford Bioactives (a division of Sanford Ltd)
23 Vernon Street, Riverlands, Blenheim, 7274
Waitaki Biosciences
3 Desi Place, Hillsborough, Christchurch, 8022
Sustainable
New Zealand’s Greenshell mussels are widely recognised among the most sustainable seafoods on the planet. They are rated Best Choice by Monterey Bay Seafood Watch.
As well has having a low carbon footprint, mussel farming has a range of positive benefits for the marine ecosystem. Ecosystem Services Report.
Sales enquiries
Source product direct from our producers.
Mussel Suppliers
Aquarius Fisheries
Sulenta Road, Waipapakauri Awanui, 0486
Future Cuisine
36c Greenmount Drive, East Tamaki, Auckland, 2013
Ikana
24 Klondyke Drive, Hornby, Christchurch, 8441
L & B Taspac
2/517 Mt Wellington Highway, Mt Wellington, Auckland, 1060.
Mills Bay Mussels
23a Inglis Street, Havelock, 7100
Omega Seafood
+64 (3) 579 1421
4 Seafair Close, Blenheim 7274
OP Columbia
271 South Highway, Whitianga, 3510
Open Ocean - Whakatōhea Mussels (Ōpōtiki) Ltd
+64 (7) 315 5230
89 Waioeka Road, Ōpōtiki 3197, Bay of Plenty
Sanford
22 Jellicoe Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland, 1010
Seafood Harbour (1997) Ltd
+64 (9) 529 0222
5 Kent Street, Newmarket, Auckland, 1023
Sea Products
57 Firth Street, Drury, Auckland, 2113
Talley's
1 Ward Street, Motueka, 7120
United Fisheries
50 - 58 Parkhouse Road, Sockburn, Christchurch, 8042
Vela Fishing Ltd
12 Sir Tristram Avenue, Te Rapa, Hamilton, 3200
Westpac Mussels
19 Corban Ave, Henderson, Auckland, 0612
King salmon
King salmon from New Zealand is the champagne of salmon.
“I ran a taste test in my restaurant with my top staff, both kitchen and servers. Everyone agreed, based on their many years in the fine dining industry, that the King salmon from New Zealand was the best piece of salmon they had ever tasted by far.”
Martin Rios, Restaurant Martin, Sante Fe, New Mexico.Farmed locally
While the majority of the world produces the common Atlantic species, New Zealand specialises in producing the ultra premium King salmon species.
Learn more about King salmon
New Zealand has no native salmon species.
The salmon we farm are Chinook salmon, otherwise known as King salmon, which were imported as eggs from Northern California to establish a game fishing run in the late 19th century.
Farming began in the late ‘80s and today New Zealand produces 75% of the world’s King salmon. This is tiny on the world scale, accounting for less than 1% of the global salmon supply.
We start with eggs produced through world class breeding programmes.
They are nurtured for 8-13 months at specialist hatcheries until they reach around 135g, which are called smolt.
Salmon are grown on farms for about 16 months and harvested when they reach about 4kg.
Learn more about their diet
The exact formulation of feed changes to meet the needs of salmon at the different stages of their life.
Diets include fish oil and protein, vegetable oils and proteins, land animal proteins, cereals/grains, and essential vitamins and minerals.
“It’s a great thing. We’re making an appropriate use of limited resources and keeping valuable nutrients in the food chain,” said Skretting’s Leo Nankervis.
Feed also contains essential nutrients like Astaxanthin. As well as giving salmon their colour, Astaxanthin is essential for maintaining a healthy immune system and reproduction.
Here’s some interesting facts you may not have known about salmon farming in Aotearoa New Zealand …
Loved globally
Enjoyed in 35 countries:
Salmon Exports by Market 2023
Salmon Exports by Product 2023
2023 major export markets for King salmon Source: Statistics NZ
Open ocean
From the people who brought you Lord of the Rings, Rocket lab, and Ice Breaker comes the future of farming.
In the proud Kiwi tradition of punching above our weight on the world stage, Open Ocean King salmon is poised to become our next great export with the industry preparing to take to our tumultuous seas.
Strong foundations
We’ve been building to this for over 50 years and done pretty well getting here.
In the cuisine world, we’ve earned the mantle of the world’s best salmon with our fish raved about by international Michelin-starred chefs and local legends like Al Brown and Annabel Langbein.
“It’s seriously good, I mean you just don’t have to do anything to it…..it’s pure, delicious and any time you prepare it, people are happy. What more could you want from a product,” said Al Brown.
It’s also seriously good for you and is a staple for renowned nutritionist Claire Turnbull and her family.
“If you want to boost your mood, and your brainpower, make sure you eat more New Zealand salmon. Salmon is absolutely packed with Omega 3s. In two 250g servings of salmon, you get all the Omega 3s you need. You also get heaps of iodine and selenium. And it’s a great source of protein.”
Sustainable farming
And then there’s the farmers – a clever bunch of kiwis who live for the sea and have built an industry from scratch that is celebrated for its green credentials.
“I love the sea. I’m a marine scientist, a conservationist, a sailor, a kayaker, a diver, and I’m also a proud salmon farmer,” said Mark Preece who’s been farming salmon for over 20 years.
“The longer I do it, the more my passion grows. What we’re doing here is pretty special.”
Mark and his fellow farmers are a huge part of why we’re the only country to have the whole-of-industry achieve the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch programme, green light, Best Choice rating.
“Overall the New Zealand salmon farming industry is characterized by strong management systems and pristine marine and freshwater ecosystems,” Seafood Watch concluded.
Seafood Watch is ‘the’ authority on sustainable seafood in North America and a green light from them is a huge deal, as is the recognition from the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) and Eat Lancet, of aquaculture’s vital role in feeding a growing global population.
Opportunity
This combination of sustainable, nutritious and delicious has made our salmon New Zealand’s highest value produce, generating about $1.4m per hectare.
You don’t have to be Nostradamus to see the opportunity this offers New Zealand.
We currently produce around 0.5% of the global supply of salmon, by sustainably farming a fraction of our coastline, which generates around $260million per year to New Zealand.
Global demand far outstrips what we are able to supply and grows stronger every day.
To meet that demand, we need to grow our production and to do that we need new farms. For the past 20 years, we’ve been hamstrung by a lack of suitable new space and long divisive application processes.
Why go out?
When it comes to salmon farming, location is vital: you need cool, deep, oxygenated water for happy fish. Strong currents to disperse organic material and the right site to minimise ecological effects and conflicts with fellow water users.
The social contest for coastal waters makes any new farms in in-shore locations unlikely, so we’ve joined with Government, Iwi, scientists, and environmental advocates to look beyond the headlands for the next frontier.
It’s an approach welcomed by the international environmental organisation, The Nature Conservancy, who has identified open ocean aquaculture as an important source of meeting growing global demand for seafood in harmony with ocean ecosystems.
Rapid developments in technology and a better understanding of the prevailing environmental conditions, mean open ocean salmon farming is about to become a reality with three resource consent applications lodged to farm salmon in the open ocean off New Zealand.
This could see the industry producing huge returns for communities and the economy in the next decade, and help fill and soften the economic and social fallout from the pending aluminium smelter closure in Southland.
Policy
Like every marine farm, these applications will be assessed on their merits by environmental experts and if deemed suitable, will become a part of a greener, smarter New Zealand future, envisioned by the Ministry for Primary Industries.
“Aquaculture gives us healthy, high value foods and when we’re farming the right things in the right places it is absolutely sustainable,” said MPI’s Director of Aquaculture Mat Bartholomew.
“The future New Zealand economy has lower emissions, produces less waste and is based on sustainable production and open ocean salmon farming can be part of that.
“It gives us a unique opportunity to an enormous scale of growth, with a relatively small-scale development.”
“We need to back ourselves. But it’s not a case of out of sight out of mind - we still have to do it right, look after the environment and take an evidence-based approach.”
Scientific approach
This stance is in-line with the Environmental Defence Society which acknowledges it as a ‘novel development’ and a potential game-changer for the sector with improved biosecurity and social outcomes, but carries a need for us to better understand the impacts on deeper sea ecosystems.
We agree too. And are drawing on the knowledge of world experts in the field.
Respected New Zealand Marine Scientist Dr Nigel Keeley, who has been studying seabed effects for 25 years, said open ocean farming would help mitigate the seabed and water column effects.
“Salmon is a business. Some people like it, some people don’t. But if you’re going to farm it, the open ocean is a step in the right direction,” Dr Keeley said.
“A more dispersive system is a good thing. I believe it is more sustainable.”
“Strong currents mean the organic waste is more diluted and is dispersed wider so you don’t get the concentration or build-up you get under some in-shore farms.”
“You still get benthic effects, but you don’t get organic accumulation. You get changes in geochemistry and macrofauna (animals), but because you don’t get the build-up of carbon, the sediments stay very active so when you move or fallow the farms they recover quickly. The farms we’ve studied have fully recovered or returned to a fairly natural condition in seven months.”
Dr Keeley has witnessed the effects of open ocean farming first hand, having spent the past five years monitoring the environmental effects of the world’s largest salmon farming industry (c. 2 million tonnes) for the Norwegian government organisation, The Institute of Marine Research,
“We’ve studied individual high-capacity farms that produce nearly as much as the entire NZ industry put together and could barely detect effects in the water column from 100m away. It’s dispersed and quickly taken up by plankton and other organisms.”
Pioneering spirit
The journey into the open ocean evokes the pioneering spirit of our seafaring forefathers and aligns with values of the South Island’s largest Iwi Ngāi Tahu.
“For centuries, the sea surrounding Te Waipounamu (the South Island) and Rakiura (Stewart Island) has provided Ngāi Tahu a bountiful supply of food for both sustenance and trade. Ngāi Tahu has an intimate knowledge of, connection to, and respect for the sea.”
“In everything we do we strive to care for, protect, and nurture the environment so it can prosper through the generations. We invest considerable effort into supporting the sustainable management of fisheries. This is vital for the future of the business as well as the values of the Iwi (Māori tribe).
“There is no doubt that offshore salmon farming is a very exciting opportunity for the prosperity of the wider Murihiku (Southland) community. Offshore aquaculture is seen nationally and internationally as the way forward.”
Let's do this
These benefits have also been recognised by the Government in their Aquaculture Strategy which backs the practice to create thousands of new jobs and generate an additional $3 billion by 2035.
On the surface that might seem like a massive expansion, but it’s set to come from farming the equivalent space of about two average sheep and beef farms (which would generate about $120,000 from the same amount of space).
We love steak and a Sunday roast as much as the next Kiwi, but with a return 16,000 times greater per hectare, it makes sense to be serving more surf with our turf.
We’re learning from the best global examples, and adapting it to our unique environment. But like our forefathers, we’ve taken to the seas to find a bright sustainable future for our communities, our environment, and our country.
Like Rocket Lab, we’re shooting for the stars.
And like Peter Jackson might say, lights, camera – it’s time for action!
Cooking tips
Get perfect salmon at home every time with these simple tips.
The right colour
Salmon cooks very quickly and is ready to eat when the flesh turns a soft pink colour.
It is quite safe to serve salmon rare and can also be eaten raw when fresh.
Baking
Brush with oil, lemon juice or both.
Place salmon in a lined/greased baking dish.
Bake at 180 degrees for 10 mins/ 2cm thickness (at it’s thickest).
BBQ/Fry
Heat pan/hot plate to medium heat.
Cook skin side down for 4-5 mins, turn and cook for 1-2.mins flesh side down.
Storing
Fridge: Salmon will keep well in a fridge for 1-4 days.
Place salmon on a plate and cover lightly with a cloth or cling film to prevent drying out.
Freezer:
Place salmon in a sealable freezer bag, squeeze out as much air as possible.
Lay bag flat on a shelf and do not pile multiple bags on top of each other.
Salmon will last up to 6 months in the freezer.
Defrost slowly at room temperate.
Nutrition
King salmon is a superfood. An excellent source of Omega-3s and packed full of nutrients essential for good health.
Nutrition table
Sustainable
We are the only country in the world where the whole industry is rated a green light ‘Best Choice’ by the global sustainability authority, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch . In the seafood world, that is a big deal!
‘Overall the New Zealand salmon farming industry is characterised by strong management systems and pristine marine and freshwater ecosystems,’ the assessment concluded.
In a recent study by independent sustainability experts, thinkstep-anz, New Zealand farmed King salmon was found to have a low carbon footprint compared to other animal proteins - read the summary report here.
Sales enquiries
Source product direct from our producers.
Suppliers
Akaroa Salmon
89 Treffers Road, Wigram, Christchurch. 8042
Anatoki Salmon Fishing
0800 262 865
230 McCallum Road, Takaka, Golden Bay, 7183.
High Country Salmon
0800 400 385
2602 Twizel-Omarama Highway, Glenbrook, Twizel, 7999.
Hook
49 Monteith Road, Wanaka, 9382.
Mt Cook Alpine Salmon
80 Sheffield Street, Washdyke, Timaru, 7910.
New Zealand King Salmon
93 Beatty Street, Tahunanui, Nelson, 7011.
Sanford
22 Jellicoe Street, Freemans Bay, Auckland, 1010.
Pacific oysters
Nurtured to perfection. Every bay, every bend in the river, produces a unique oyster.
“When you eat the first oyster of the season, no matter where you are, it’s like you’re standing in the low tide, with the sand between your toes….the tastes, the liquor, the texture, it brings you here…“Farmed locally
It’s pretty simple really, we take the best of nature, and nurture them to perfection.
Learn more
The Pacific oysters farmed in New Zealand are thought to have been introduced to New Zealand in the ‘60s, on the hull of a Japanese ship transporting parts for the Auckland Harbour Bridge
We farm them mostly in intertidal zones in the warmer waters around the top of the North island
Traditionally, wild spat was collected on sticks and then placed onto wooden racks
The industry is evolving to farming selectively bred spat in specialised basket and bag systems, to produce high-value and more desirable oysters
Oysters are filter feeders and take all their nutrients from the water and are ready for harvest after 12-20 months
Oysters are widely recognised among the most sustainable forms of food on the planet
Shucking Oysters
Loved globally
Enjoyed in 19 countries
Oyster Exports by Market 2023
Oyster Exports by Product 2023
2023 major export markets for New Zealand Pacific oysters Source: Statistics NZ
Nutrition
New Zealand Pacific oysters are rich in protein, iron and essential amino acids.
Nutrition table
Sales enquiries
Source product direct from our producers.
Suppliers
Biomarine Ltd
482 Woodcocks Road, Warkworth, 0941
Clevedon Coast Oysters
914 Clevedon Kawakawa Bay Road RD5,Papakura, Auckland, 2585
Coromandel Oyster Co Ltd
+64 (7) 8668028
1611 Manaia Road, SH25, Coromandel 3581
Future Cuisine
36c Greenmount Drive, East Tamaki, Auckland, 2013
Mahurangi Oysters
PO Box 30, Snells Beach, 0942
Moana
266 Roscommon Road, Wiri, Auckland, 2104
Sea Products
www.seaproducts.co.nz
57 Firth Street, Drury Auckland 2113
Te Matuku Oysters
13 Tahi Rd, Ostend, Waiheke Island, 1081
