King salmon soon at Dutch auction

New Zealand king salmon, the biggest of the salmon species and the richest in Omega-3 oil, will soon go on auction at the Sydney Fish Market

The Sydney Fish Market (SFM) is negotiating with suppliers to introduce New Zealand king salmon at its weekday auctions, providing stiff competition for locally grown Tasmanian salmon and ocean trout.

Graham Turk, SFM managing director, said Tasmanian suppliers did not go through the SFM but distributed their products directly to Australian distributors.

He said distributors in Sydney had expressed preference for buying king salmon through the SFM Dutch clock auction system.

SFM has been using the Dutch auction since 1989. Held from 5.30am every weekday, the Dutch auction is a silent auction which begins at the highest price and drops until a bid is made.

NZ King Salmon is already exported and sold in small quantities directly to distributors in Australia under the Regal Salmon brand which is supplied by The New Zealand King Salmon Company.

The sale of NZ king salmon through the Dutch auction at SFM, the second biggest fish market in the world after Tokyo, is likely to increase sales volume, bringing more king salmon products to the restaurants and homes of Sydney.

The NZ King Salmon Company processes about 7300t of salmon a year, making it one of the biggest global producers of farmed king salmon. About 66% of production is exported.

Also called Chinook or spring salmon, king salmon is a premium eating fish, native of the northern Pacific Ocean. The biggest of the Pacific salmon family, it can get up to 57kg.

It is a firm-fleshed fish with an attractive orage-red colour and can be served in a wide variety of cuts from fine fillets to steaks, portions or whole fish.

Known for its big size and flavorful flesh, the king salmon is the state fish of Alaska and a popular game fish.

King salmon was first introduced to NZ for game fishing as far back as the 1850s but it was not until fish bred from imported Californian eggs were released into the South Island rivers that they started to return from the sea to spawn in the late 1800s while king salmon farming did not start until 1983.

The commercial NZ King Salmon typically weighs between 3.5kg and 4kg - about double the size of Atlantic salmon from Tasmania - and has the highest natural oil content of all salmon.

A 150g portion of NZ King Salmon is said to provide the complete daily requirement of Omega-3, sough for its health properties.

Omega-3 is said to provide protection against heart disease and certain cancers, alleviate arthritic pain and boost the immune system.

The variety of cuts is a chef’s delight. Rich in flavour, the fish is perfect for sashimi or for baking, grilling and hot or cold smoking.

The salmon are harvested 52 weeks of the year, processed quickly and can be transported to Australia within 60 hours of harvest.