Barramundi Farming in Australia
By Bob Ives
Traditionally when you think of farming, you think of agriculture;
wheat farmers, corn, cotton, etc. But Barramundi farming is a whole
different thing. In short, Barramundi farming is the raising of
fingerlings which are later to be sold on the market. The farming is
mostly done in North Queensland, Australia, but also in Asia. All states
in Australia are involved in Barramundi farming with the exception of
Victoria.
One reason why Barramundi are farmed is because they are a hardy fish
and easily adapt to many situations. They can be raised in fresh or
saltwater, indoors or outdoors, and can be trained to live on a pellet
diet which helps them grow large quickly. Environments in which
Barramundi are farmed are quite controlled to maintain warmer water
temperatures to enhance growth and the fish are typically raised in
cages.
Barramundi farmers are often farmers who had previous backgrounds in
other types of farming and came to learn the science of raising Barras.
This helped them to overcome unprofitable periods in other farming, and
now Barramundi farming has become a multi-million dollar business.
Perhaps the biggest part of the business is the commercial aspect
because Barramundi are a tasty fish that can draw a premium price on the
market, with most sales going to wholesalers in Melbourne and Sydney.
Currently, most Barramundi are sold at the market ‘plate sized’ but the
industry is expanding to sell filets from larger fish and have hopes of
including worldwide distribution to supermarkets.
Phases of Raising Barramundi
- The first phase, the hatchery phase, involves broodstock
maintenance and larval rearing
- The next phase is the nursery rearing
- The growout phase is the third of the different stages involved
in raising barramundi.
Broodstock maturation and larval rearing requires saltwater, but the
nursery and growout stages can be in either salt or freshwater.
Definitions: the broodstock is a group of sexually mature fish of
a breed species that is separated for further breeding purposes. The
growout is when the farmed Barramundi are moved to larger cages as they
increase in size; usually around 80 mm.
This is an expensive process and requires extensive knowledge and care.
If everything is done right, Barramundi can be ready for the market in
about 6 or 8 months. Most farms have processing and packaging
capabilities right on site, and the fish are normally placed on ice in
styrofoam or plastic bags, at which time they are shipped by air to big
cities with good marketability and high demand like Melbourne or Sydney.
So, if you want to eat some good Barramundi, you can make a trip to one
of those cities and buy some fresh fish from the market. As for me, I
have a lot more fun fishing for them. |
