Organic Salmon - Ormond Aquaculture Ltd
Ormond
Aquaculture Limited (OAL) is an organic freshwater aquaculture
enterprise established by Peter and Coreen Wilhelmus in
1994. The farm draws water from a spring fed stream tributary
to the Waiau River and is situated close to Wairau Valley
settlement, some 35km south of Blenheim in the Wairau Valley.
Ormond
holds licences to farm quinnat and sockeye salmon and koura,
the New Zealand native freshwater crayfish.
Ormond
maintains a very high standard of environmental management
of its system which enhances the organic status of the aquaculture
complex. This environmental management was rewarded in 1997
by the Company winning two of the inaugural Marlborough
District Council's biennial environmental awards. The feat
was repeated in 1999 when the overall supreme award was
also won.
Marlborough
District Council Environmental Awards won by Ormond Aquaculture
Ltd, two in 1997 and two in 1999 including the Supreme Award
for that year
The
farm has the capability to produce up to 15 tonnes per annum
of salmon with potential to expand considerably. The annual
production at present is about 12 tonnes.
Ormond
Organic Salmon Farm
The
farm produces mixed sex fish. The reason for this is that
Ormond Aquaculture believes in natural environmental management
and does not use artificial products or any form of genetic
engineering. Mixed sex farming ensures no sexed reversed
fish are released to the wild and thus do not upset the
natural balance between male and female fish which could
lead to a loss of 'natural' stock.
The
original salmon farm stock has been obtained from very successful
runs of return salmon in the Waiau River, North Canterbury.
Ormond is now manufacturing its own organic salmon food
on site. The company is also working on producing its own
organic food for the fish.
Ormond
Aquaculture is a disease-free farm run on proven, environmentally
sound techniques recognised by the company being awarded
the Marlborough Environmental Awards.
Ormond
has obtained a small stock of Sockeye salmon smolt which
are progressing very well. Part of the development program
for these fish is to try and achieve by organic methods,
the strong red/pink colouring achieved by wild stock in
North American and Canadian waters.
The
aquaculture complex is now a certified (CERTNZ) organic
freshwater aquaculture farm. It is understood that Ormond
is the only certified organic freshwater aquaculture complex
in Australia and New Zealand.
In
conjunction with NZ Clearwater Crayfish
(Koura) Ltd, Ormond is developing a koura farm producing
the North Island species of New Zealand freshwater crayfish,
Koura. This total aquaculture development is believed to
be the first poly-culture freshwater fish farm in New Zealand.
Each
year Ormond retains selected salmon stock for breeding and
is able to have eggs and smolt available for sale. Eyed
eggs are usually available for supply about mid-June. Due
to the adverse conditions experienced through the continuing
drought in Marlborough, Ormond will not have any surplus
eggs or smolt in 2001-2002.
Every
third year, breeding stock are obtained from river run fish
to strengthen the in-farm gene pool.
Water
quality and temperature at Ormond normally enable a high
survival yield of eggs and smolt.
Ormond
is extremely sensitive about its on site bio-security management
to the extent that local Fish and Game Council staff have
commented on the apparent over caution. The reasons for
a tight bio-security regime are clear to Ormond.
Enteric
red-mouth and whirling disease are devastating to salmonoids.
The disease is known to have occurred in some South Island
water-sheds, but not in the Wairau catchment in Marlborough.
Whirling
disease is not common in farmed salmon but if it occured
it has the potential to spread to native and exotic trout,
with potentially devastating consequences as well as render
the farm stock useless.
Ormond
Aquaculture has never had either disease and the farm is
carefully maintained and managed to ensure a disease-free
environment.
Ormond
Aquaculture operates a licensed process facility on site
and supplies fresh, chilled, gilled and gutted salmon to
the local and export markets. Fresh fish are available either
whole as loose or vacuum packed fillets.
All
fish are pacified in a small bath then ickyed to present
the fish in best possible eating condition.
Further
on-processing of salmon including a traditional hot smoking
using an original ancient brine recipe and warm smoke together
with gravadlax production is now done on site.
Fresh
salmon fillets
Vacuum
packed fillets
Orders are couriered around New Zealand with delivery within
two days of harvest.
Ormond
Aquaculture Ltd and NZ Clearwater Crayfish (Koura) Ltd are
part of the Wairau Valley visitor attraction circuit and
are open to tourists.
Visitors
are welcome between 11.00am and 5.00pm daily but prior advice
of visit is requested for bio-security and management reasons.
