The Queenstown-based company said it was delighted to earn a Best Choice (Green) rating from the widely-acclaimed Seafood Watch organisation.
Company chairman and former New Zealand Prime Minister Jim Bolger said the accolade was a huge endorsement for aquaculture in New Zealand.
“In keeping with Mt Cook Alpine Salmon’s previous sustainability credentials, this demonstrates we’re the best of the best,” he said.
“We’re the primary fresh water King Salmon producer in the world and most of our production is sold into overseas markets, including the prestigious Whole Foods outlets in the United States.
“New Zealand’s salmon farming industry leads the way with best practice, pristine ecosystems and our clean, green, sustainable approach, and Mt Cook Alpine Salmon is at the forefront of that drive.”
Seafood Watch, operated by the US-based Monterey Bay Aquarium, is a not-for-profit organisation that assesses and ranks sustainable fisheries around the world. The organisation makes its science-based recommendations available to the public in the form of regional pocket guides and a downloadable app.
“As a measure of the growing sensitivity to aquaculture practices, every year Whole Foods sends independent auditors to our fresh water farms to monitor our standard operating procedures. Mt Cook Alpine Salmon continues to be the only King Salmon producer that supplies Whole Foods.”
Mt Cook Alpine Salmon’s Technical Director Professor Terry Bradley, who has been involved with the operation for nearly 20 years is “thrilled” to receive the accolade.
“We were the first salmon producer in Australasia to earn Best Aquaculture Practice certification from the Global Aquaculture Alliance, and to be recognised with GREEN status from Seafood Watch is solid testament to the commitment we have to high-end sustainable values,” he said.
