Species of fish
The
barramundi
(
Lates calcarifer
),
Asian sea bass
, or
giant sea perch
(also known as
dangri
or
apahap
[2]
) is a
species
of
catadromous
fish
in the
family
Latidae
of the
order
Perciformes
. The species is widely distributed in the
Indo-West Pacific
, spanning the waters of the
Middle East
,
South Asia
,
Southeast Asia
,
East Asia
, and
Oceania
.
Origin of name
[
edit
]
Barramundi is a loanword from an
Australian Aboriginal
language of the
Rockhampton
area in
Queensland
[3]
meaning "large-scaled river fish".
[4]
Originally, the name barramundi referred to
Scleropages leichardti
and
Scleropages jardinii
.
[5]
However, the name was
appropriated
for marketing reasons during the 1980s, a decision that significantly raised the profile of this fish.
[5]
L. calcarifer
is broadly referred to as Asian seabass by the international scientific community, but is sometimes known as Australian seabass or giant sea perch.
[6]
[7]
[8]
Description
[
edit
]
This species has an elongated body form with a large, slightly oblique mouth and an upper jaw extending behind the eye. The lower edge of the
preoperculum
is serrated with a strong spine at its angle; the
operculum
has a small spine and a serrated flap above the origin of the lateral line. Its scales are
ctenoid
.
[9]
In cross section, the fish is compressed and the dorsal head profile clearly concave. The single
dorsal
and
ventral
fins have spines and soft
rays
; the paired
pectoral
and
pelvic
fins have soft rays only; and the
caudal
fin has soft rays and is
truncated
and rounded.
Barramundi are salt and freshwater sportfish, targeted by many. They have large, silver scales, which may become darker or lighter, depending on their environments. Their bodies can reach up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long, though evidence of them being caught at this size is scarce. The maximum weight is about 60 kg (130 lb). The average length is about 0.6?1.2 m (2.0?3.9 ft). Its genome size is about 700 Mb, which was sequenced and published in Animal Genetics (2015, in press) by
James Cook University
.
[10]
Barramundi are
demersal
, inhabiting coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers; they are found in clear to turbid water, usually within a temperature range of 26?30 °C. This species does not undertake extensive migrations within or between river systems, which has presumably influenced establishment of genetically distinct stocks in Northern Australia.
[11]
[12]
Life cycle
[
edit
]
The barramundi feeds on
crustaceans
,
molluscs
, and smaller fish (including its own species); juveniles feed on
zooplankton
.
The barramundi is
euryhaline
, but
stenothermal
. It inhabits rivers and descends to
estuaries
and
tidal flats
to spawn. In areas remote from fresh water, purely
marine
populations may become established.
[
citation needed
]
At the start of the
monsoon
, males migrate downriver to meet females, which lay very large numbers of eggs (several millions each). The adults do not guard the eggs or the fry, which require
brackish water
to develop.
The species is sequentially
hermaphroditic
, with most individuals maturing as males and becoming female after at least one spawning season; most of the larger specimens are therefore female. Fish held in captivity sometimes demonstrate features atypical of fish in the wild; they change sex at a smaller size, exhibit a higher proportion of
protogyny
and some males do not undergo
sexual inversion
.
[13]
Recreational fishing
[
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]
Prized by
anglers
and
sport-fishing
enthusiasts for their good fighting ability,
[14]
barramundi are reputed to be good at avoiding fixed nets and are best caught on lines and with
fishing lures
. In Australia, the barramundi is used to stock freshwater reservoirs for recreational fishing.
These "impoundment barramundi", as they are known by anglers, have grown in popularity as a "
catch and release
" fish. Popular stocked barramundi impoundments include Lake Tinaroo near Cairns in the Atherton Tablelands, Lake Proserpine west of
Proserpine, Queensland
, Teemburra Dam near Mackay,
Lake Moondarra
near
Mount Isa
,
Lake Awoonga
near
Gladstone
, and Lake Monduran south of Lake Awoonga.
[15]
Commercial fishing and aquaculture
[
edit
]
The fish is of commercial importance; it is fished internationally and raised in
aquaculture
in Australia,
[14]
Singapore
, Saudi Arabia,
Malaysia
, India,
Indonesia
,
Vietnam
,
Israel
,
Thailand
, the United States, Poland, and the United Kingdom.
[
citation needed
]
A
Singapore
investment firm has invested in an upcoming barramundi fish farm in Brunei.
[
citation needed
]
A joint venture between a Sri Lankan company, Oceanpick (Pvt) Ltd, and a Scottish fish farm has been ocean farming barramundi sustainably in Sri Lanka since 2012, using the deep waters of Trincomalee Bay, on the island's northeast coast.
[16]
[17]
The Australian barramundi industry is relatively established, with an annual production of more than 4,000 tons. In the broader Southeast Asian region, production is estimated to exceed 30,000 tons. By contrast, the US industry produces about 800 tons a year from a single facility,
Australis Aquaculture, LLC
. In 2011, VeroBlue Farms in Iowa started and aims to produce 500 tons annually.
[18]
Barramundi under culture commonly grow from a hatchery juvenile, between 50 and 100 mm in length, to a table size of 400-600 g within 12 months and to 3.0 kg within 18?24 months.
[13]
Diseases
[
edit
]
Though Asian sea bass are a hardy fish, they are vulnerable to bacterial infections like photobacteriosis.
[19]
Aquarium use
[
edit
]
These fish are not generally kept in home aquaria. They may be confused with an Australian reef fish commonly called the
humpback grouper
(
Cromileptes altivelis
), also known as barramundi cod, panther grouper, or polkadot grouper, juveniles of which are frequently offered for sale in the ornamental fish trade. However, they rapidly outgrow most home aquariums.
As food
[
edit
]
Barramundi have a mild flavour and a white, flaky flesh, with varying amount of body fat.
Barramundi are a favourite food of the region's
apex predator
,
saltwater crocodiles
, which have been known to take them from unwary fishermen.
[20]
Australian cuisine
[
edit
]
In Australia, such is the demand for the fish that a substantial amount of barramundi consumed there is actually imported. This has placed economic pressure on Australian producers, both fishers and farmers, whose costs are greater due to remoteness of many of the farming and fishing sites, as well as stringent environmental and food safety standards placed on them by government. While country-of-origin labelling has given consumers greater certainty over the origins of their barramundi at the retail level, no requirement exists for the food service and restaurant trades to label the origins of their barramundi.
Bengali cuisine
[
edit
]
Locally caught
bhetki
(barramundi) is a popular fish among Bengali people, mainly served in festivities such as marriages and other important social events. It is cooked as
bhetki machher paturi
,
bhetki machher kalia
, or coated in
crumbled biscuit
(similar to golden bread crumbs) and pan fried.
It is very popular among people who are usually sceptical about eating fish with a lot of bones.
Bhetki
fillets have no bones in them. In
Bengali cuisine
, therefore, fried
bhetki
fillets are popular and considered to be of good quality. The dish is commonly called "fish fry".
Goan cuisine
[
edit
]
Locally caught
chonak
(barramundi) is a favourite food, prepared with either
recheado
(a
Goan
red masala) or coated with
rava
(
sooji
, semolina)
[21]
and pan fried. The fish is generally filleted on the diagonal. It is eaten as a snack or as an accompaniment to drinks or the main course. It is one of the more expensive fish available.
Thai cuisine
[
edit
]
Barramundi from local fish farms are known as
pla kapong
(
Thai
:
???????
) in
Thailand
.
[22]
Since its introduction, it has become one of the most popular fish in
Thai cuisine
. It is often eaten steamed with
lime
and
garlic
, as well as deep-fried or stir-fried with
lemongrass
, among a variety of many other ways.
Pla kapong
can be seen in aquaria in many restaurants in Thailand, where sometimes this fish is wrongly labelled as "snapper" or "sea bass" on menus.
[23]
Traditionally,
Lutjanidae
snappers were known as
pla kapong
before the introduction of barramundi in Thai aquaculture, but presently, snapper is rarely served in restaurants in the main cities and in interior Thailand.
United States
[
edit
]
In the US, barramundi is growing in popularity.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
has deemed US and Vietnam-raised barramundi as "Best Choice" under the
Seafood Watch
sustainability program.
[24]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Pal, M.; Morgan, D.L. (2019).
"
Lates calcarifer
"
.
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
.
2019
: e.T166627A1139469.
doi
:
10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T166627A1139469.en
. Retrieved
19 November
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2019).
"
Lates calcarifer
"
in
FishBase
. December 2019 version.
- ^
Yokose, Hiroyuki.
"Aboriginal Words in Australian English"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on September 28, 2006.
- ^
Frumkin, Paul (2003).
"Barramundi approval rating rise"
. Food & Beverage Industry
. Retrieved
2008-12-01
.
- ^
a
b
"Australia's Arrow Fish, Saratoga (The True Barramundi)"
.
Archived
from the original on 29 October 2007
. Retrieved
2007-10-04
.
- ^
Banerjee, Debashis; Hamod, Mohammed A.; Suresh, Thangavel; Karunasagar, Indrani (1 December 2014).
"Isolation and characterization of a nodavirus associated with mass mortality in Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) from the west coast of India"
.
VirusDisease
.
25
(4): 425?429.
doi
:
10.1007/s13337-014-0226-8
.
ISSN
2347-3517
.
PMC
4262316
.
PMID
25674617
.
- ^
Pierce, Charles (26 November 2006).
"The Next Big Fish ? The Boston Globe"
.
Boston Globe Magazine
. Boston Globe
. Retrieved
20 February
2023
.
- ^
"Common Names Summary ? Lates calcarifer"
.
fishbase.se
.
- ^
Moore, R. (1979).
"Natural Sex Inversion in the Giant Perch (Lates calcarifer)"
.
Marine and Freshwater Research
.
30
(6): 803?813.
doi
:
10.1071/MF9790803
. Retrieved
26 November
2023
.
- ^
Allen, Gerald R.; Midgley, Stephen H.; Allen, Mark (2002).
Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Australia
. Perth: Western Australian Museum. p. 394.
ISBN
0-7307-5486-3
. Retrieved
26 November
2023
.
- ^
Allen, Gerald R.; Midgley, Stephen H.; Allen, Mark (2002).
Field guide to the freshwater fishes of Australia
. Perth: Western Australian Museum. p. 394.
ISBN
0-7307-5486-3
. Retrieved
26 November
2023
.
- ^
G.R. Allen (1989).
Freshwater fishes of Australia
. Neptune City, NJ: T.H.F. Publications. p. 74.
ISBN
0866229361
. Retrieved
26 November
2023
.
- ^
a
b
"FISHERIES MANAGEMENT PAPER No. 127"
(PDF)
. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2008-07-25
. Retrieved
2009-08-11
.
- ^
a
b
Gomon, Martin.
"Barramundi, Lates calcarifer"
.
Fishes of Australia
. Archived from
the original
on 3 September 2014
. Retrieved
26 August
2014
.
- ^
"Fish stocked dams and weirs search"
.
Queensland Government
. Retrieved
26 January
2024
.
- ^
Holmyard, Nicki (September 2022).
"Oceanpick Celebrates a Decade in Sri Lanka"
.
The Fish Site
. Retrieved
26 September
2022
.
- ^
"Sustainable Fish Farming on Sri Lanka"
.
PUM
. 2024
. Retrieved
2024-02-09
.
- ^
Oatman, Maddie (January 2017).
"A Fish Out of Water"
.
Mother Jones
. Retrieved
5 January
2017
.
- ^
Trung Hieu Pham; Shreesha Rao; Ta-Chih Cheng; Pei-Chi Wang; Shih-Chu Chen (2021). "The moonlighting protein fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase as a potential vaccine candidate against Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida in Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer)".
Developmental & Comparative Immunology
.
124
(104187): 104187.
doi
:
10.1016/j.dci.2021.104187
.
ISSN
0145-305X
.
PMID
34186149
.
- ^
Garrick, Matt (25 March 2019).
"Crocodile steals massive barramundi from NT fisherman at the last possible second"
.
ABC News
. Retrieved
15 February
2023
.
- ^
Oulton, R (2007) [First published 2005].
"Sooji"
.
Cooks Info
. Retrieved
20 May
2018
.
- ^
Fishing in Thailand
Archived
2009-06-29 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Ruen Urai, Thai cuisine
Archived
2011-07-15 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Giant perch"
.
www.seafoodwatch.org
. Seafood Watch
. Retrieved
15 February
2023
.
External links
[
edit
]
Look up
barramundi
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.