Barramundi

Barra, Silver barramundi, Giant perch, Asian seabass, Seabass, Giant seabass, White seabass, Twofin seabass, Blind seabass, Two finned seabass, Giant palmer, Narifish, Kokop putih, Bekti apahap, Palakapon, Nokogirihata

Akame

Barramundi or Asian sea bass is an estuarine species belonging to the perch family. Barramundi is native to the Indo-Pacific region and its range extends north as far as Taiwan, south to the eastern Australian coast, east to Papua New Guinea, and as far west as the Persian Gulf. Barramundi is caught commercially and is produced by aquaculture. Prized sport fish in northern Australia and are capable of reaching up to six and a half feet in length, can live for twenty years, weighing in excess of 50 kg. Barramundi are catadromous fish (fish that migrate from fresh water to salt water to spawn or reproduce) and move between fresh and saltwater during the various stages of their life cycle. Mature barramundi live in estuaries and associated coastal waters or in the lower reaches of rivers. Barramundi prefer slow-moving water in rivers, creeks, swamps and estuaries, but are adaptable and may often be found around near shore islands and reefs. Barramundi are well suited to aquaculture as they are hardy, fast-growing and universally regarded as a fine table fish.

Farmed barramundi diets contain fishmeal and fish oil that is sourced from wild fisheries. Inclusion levels of fishmeal and fish oil for barramundi feed are lower than other farmed carnivores, such as Atlantic salmon, but are higher than other popular farmed fish such as catfish and tilapia.

FCR for farmed barramundi from Austrailia, Taiwan, and SE Asia can range from 4-8:1 for open or closed system aquaculture.

Open net pens or cages, on the other hand, have a long history of concerns with escapes due to their use by the salmon aquaculture industry. Barramundi are farmed in open net pens in their native habitats in northern Australia, Southeast Asia (Indonesia and Singapore), and Taiwan.
Research from Australia suggests that genetic differentiation may be an important factor in the
biology of barramundi and that potential interbreeding between escaped barramundi and wild barramundi may affect this diversity. Research has found that escaped barramundi are interacting with wild barramundi, although the consequences of these interactions have not yet
been quantified.

Given these escapes and the risks posed to the genetic diversity of wild barramundi,open net pen barramundi farms rank as a high conservation concern for this criterion.

As is the case with escapes, open net systems, on the other hand, have a long history of amplifying and transferring natural parasites to wild hosts. Research from Southeast Asia suggests that intensive culture has led to serious concerns over disease since its inception. Farming native species creates scenarios whereby natural parasites and diseases are easily amplified and possibly transferred to wild species migrating in adjacent waters. Although there
is no direct evidence that barramundi farms are transferring disease or parasites to wild fish, there is some evidence that disease and parasite amplification is occurring on barramundi farms.

The lack of assessment of the impacts of open net barramundi farms on the surrounding environment and the vast amount of literature available documenting the negative effects of
other species cultured in open systems is cause for concern.

Management problems have occurred, however, with open net pen operations in Australia, and information from Southeast Asia and Taiwan operations was unavailable at the time this report
was produced.

Where is this Barramundi from?

No health advisory at this time

No.