Barramundi Photos Information | Catching & Fishing for Barramundi | Cooking Barramundi

Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) Photographs and Information

Also known as Sea Bass, Barra, giant perch, giant sea perch, silver barramundi

Barramundi are harvested as part of the set gill net fishery on the eastern coast of Queensland and in the Gulf of Carpentaria. They are also farmed.

Available both wild-caught and farmed, it is caught using gillnets in coastal and fresh waters in Australia�s tropical north, from the Ashburton River in WA to the Noosa River in Queensland. They live in rivers and creeks, but do move into estuaries and coastal shallows to breed. Darwin, Weipa, Cairns, Innisfail, Townsville, Bundaberg and Adelaide are all important Barramundi farming centres.

The name Barramundi came from an Aboriginal word that means �large scaled river fish�

Queensland barramundi have a single annual summer spawning period, with the timing and duration varying between regions, river systems and from year to year depending on water temperature and salinity.

Generally fish spawn around river mouths so that larval and juvenile barramundi can use swamps that form during the monsoon season. Annual wet season rainfall influences adult spawning success and juvenile recruitment.

Juvenile barramundi are highly dependent on estuarine and freshwater habitats. They move from the estuarine areas up into the freshwater habitats to grow for one to two years. During the dry season, Barramundi may become land-locked in up river waterholes and lagoons of river systems. They move back to tidal areas when rains open these rivers.

Did you know? Females produce a lot of eggs - about 300,000 per kg of body weight. The eggs hatch within 20 hours and grow quickly.

Did you know? Barramundi are born as males and at about 6 years of age, Barramundi have reached over 80cm and are now female for breeding..

For that reason you find that in Australia, in areas that are heavily fished you are not allowed to keep Barramundi over 80 cm. It's catch and release so future generations of anglers will still be able to go Barramundi fishing.

Advanced Secrets Of Tuna Fishing - What Some Fisherman Are Calling The Tuna Fishing Book Of The Century. Action Packed With Exciting Stories And Insider Secrets From Tuna Fisherman And Charter Boat Skippers. Aimed At Everyday Users To Teach Them How To Find, Attract And Catch Tuna!

wpeC.jpg (3647 bytes)

Fishing Lures

Tuna Fishing

Barramundi or Sea Bass Photo

Scientific Name	Lates calcarifer
Location	Northern half of Australia
Season	All year round
Size	To 56 kg
Australian Species Code	37 288001

Nutritional Information
For every 100 grams raw product
for Barramundi fillet.

Kilojoules	-
Cholesterol	45 mg
Sodium	-
Total fat (oil)	0.9 g
Saturated fat	43% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat	32% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat	26% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA	11 mg
Omega-3, DHA	50 mg
Omega-6, AA	57 mg

Other Barramundi Links:

More Information on Barramundi

Worldwide Trade Seafood Industry Directory of companies and contacts who are Exporters, Importers & Processors, Wholesale & Agents of Barramundi and Sea Bass:

and

Barramundi are euryhaline, meaning they can live in both fresh and salt water. However, barramundi eggs and larvae will only survive in brackish or salt water (salinities between 22 and 40 parts per thousand (ppt)) and for this reason all breeding takes place in river mouths and bays near areas of suitable nursery habitat. Areas such as mangrove swamps and low-lying land that becomes flooded during spring tides and monsoonal rains provide ideal habitat for juvenile barramundi.

Barramundi eat a range of food including fishes, shrimp, crayfish, crab and aquatic insects and they are mainly but not exclusively nocturnal feeders.

Barramundi are a very important commercial species. They are excellent eating.

The Barramundi is a big fish. It can weigh 10 to 20 kg and more, and a length of over 1 metre isn't uncommon. Its maximum size is 1.8 metres and it will then weigh about 60 kg.

Barramundi are predators and love to hang out near rocks and logs, where they can hide and wait for unsuspecting smaller fish or crustaceans

Angling Fishing for Barramundi:

Barramundi Fishing: Barramundi are a premier game and sport fish, and they are prolific all across the Northern Territory and Kimberley coast. Their full range extends from Shark Bay in Western Australia across the top and down to the Mary and Maroochy river systems in Queensland.

Dawn and dusk is the preferred time and the summer months (November to March) during calm humid conditions the best. Deep diving lures cast around structure, weed beds, drowned timber etc. is the way, although trolling can also produce the goods.

Fishing methods include trolling, lure casting out soft plastics, hard body baits like crank baits, and surface lures. Barramundi fishing can be undertaken by casting lures to �structure� such as submerged logs, rock bars and overhanging banks. Barramundi are basically lazy fish and mostly will not put in too much effort to catch a feed so casting needs to be tight. Barramundi can also be caught by fly fishing and by trolling and they can be tough on gear so make sure you have the best.

A favourite haunt for barramundi is amongst mangroves and around submerged logs and other overhangs where it waits to ambush it�s pray. Barramundi prefer larger waters with a slow continuous flow and water temperatures above 20 C.

The Barra will hit the lure or fly hard and run for the snags and the fisherman is usually the loser if the fish gets there.

Lure casting and trolling:

Solid Baitcaster rod and reel
Up to 20lb braid with up to 50lb leader
Lures to suite. There are literally hundreds of Barramundi fishing lures on the market and everyone swears by a different type. Gold, brown, blue and red seem to be popular choices in colour and what ever you get should swim at least two meters deep if not deeper. Visit a local tackle shop before you set out and ask them what works best locally.

Fly fishing gear should include the following: Lefty's Deceiver Saltwater Fly, fly fishing lure, popular saltwater fishing fly

8/9 weight saltwater rod
Appropriate reel with at least 200m of 15-20kg backing. Braid is best.
Flyline- intermediate and/or floating weight forward.
Class leader 1-1.5m of 6-10 kg
Shock tippet of .5 m of 20kg mono
Popular Flies include Lefty�s Deceivers (white, green, yellow) ,,Clouser minnow � white/red and black/gold, Pink Things, Poppers � frog imitations , Polar Fiber Minnow , Gold Bomber ,Crazy Charlie

Barramundi Closed Season - Queensland:

Location

Period of Closure

Barramundi

Gulf of Carpentaria and adjoining waterways south of the intersection of longitude 142 09' east with the shore at high watermark.

Variable from year to year depending upon the spawning season. Refer to the Queensland Fisheries Management Authority (QFMA) or Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol for details.

Elsewhere

Midday 1 Nov. - midday 1 Feb

Cooking Barramundi:

Barramundi flesh is white and moist with a medium to firm texture and fairly large flakes. The flavour is mild, subtle and highly prized. Barramundi are very versatile when it comes to cooking. Barramundi is well suited to all methods of cookery because of its moist texture and mild flavour. It is delicious when pan-fried, steamed, chargrilled or barbecued. Best served with leafy green vegetables such as baby bok choy and rocket.

Barramundi recipe, sea bass recipe, barramundi with soy and ginger sauce, chinese vegetables, asian style sea bass Whole Farmed Barramundi with a Soy & Ginger Sauce - Asian style marinated and served with steamed Chinese vegetables.

Char-grilled Barramundi Burger with tropical Salsa - marinated with lemon and white wine, char-grilled and serviced on a bun with a paw-paw, roma tomato and avocado salad

Barramundi with Olives, Tomatoes & Garlic - Barramundi with a lovely sauce of chopped Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, garlic and fresh thyme.

Colour of Raw Fillet:	White
Texture:	Large, firm flakes. Tender.
Fat Content:	Low to high (varies with season)
Flavour:	Distinct mild flavour.

Nutritional Information
For every 100 grams raw product
for Barramundi fillet.

Kilojoules	-
Cholesterol	45 mg
Sodium	-
Total fat (oil)	0.9 g
Saturated fat	43% of total fat
Monounsaturated fat	32% of total fat
Polyunsaturated fat	26% of total fat
Omega-3, EPA	11 mg
Omega-3, DHA	50 mg
Omega-6, AA	57 mg

Barramundi Recipes

Barramundi (Sea Bass) Recipes from How to Cook Fish

Barramundi Fillet

Buying Barramundi
Wild-caught Barramundis are usually sold in fillets or cutlets. In fillets and cutlets, look for lustrous, firm, moist white-pinkish flesh without any brown markings or oozing water and with a pleasant fresh smell. Farmed baby Barramundis are mostly sold whole, look for firm flesh, which springs back when touched and a pleasant fresh smell.

To Store
Make sure whole fish is scaled, gutted and cleaned thoroughly. Wrap whole fish, fillets and cutlets in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container. Refrigerate for 2-3 days or freeze whole fish for up to 6 months, and fillets or cutlets for up to 3 months, below -18�C.

To Cook
Yield is 45-50%. Barramundi flesh has large flakes, mild flavour, low-medium oiliness depending on the season, moist flesh and medium to firm texture depending on size. Wild-caught Barramundi has only a few large bones, which can easily be removed. Cut large fillets into serving size portions. The centre bone of cutlets can be removed and a filling placed in the cavity. Baby Barramundis are best served whole (scaled, gutted and cleaned) as they are an ideal plate-sized fish. Barramundi skin is fine and can be left on during cooking.

Commercial Fishing for Barramundi:

Season
Wild-caught Barramundis are available from February to October, with the main season being February to April.

Size and Weight
Barramundis mature as males after 3 years, measuring up to 60cm in length, then change into females after 5 years. They can reach up to 1.5m and 50kg, although most wild-caught fish weigh less than 6kg. Farmed Barramundis average 400-600g and 30-37cm and are commonly sold as �baby�, or �plate-sized�, Barramundi. Some Barramundi farmers are now producing larger fish weighing around 3kg, these are flakier and have firmer flesh than �baby� Barramundi.

wpeC.jpg (2682 bytes)

Farming Barramundi Aquaculture:

Barramundi Lates calcarifer, occurs throughout the South-East Asian region, including northern Australia (Figure 1). In South-East Asia barramundi is known as Asian sea bass and a successful farming industry, particularly in Thailand, has been established for many years. In the wild, they can grow to 180 cm total length (up to 60 kg) but farmed fish are usually sold at plate size (500 g) or around 3 kg (for filleting).

Research into the culture of barramundi began in Australia in 1984 with studies carried out by the Queensland Government. The work was initially aimed at adapting culture techniques developed in Thailand to Australian conditions. Following the evident success of preliminary research, the first commercial barramundi hatchery and farm was started in 1986 in Mourilyan Harbour, North Queensland (Schipp, 1996).

There are three culture systems currently used in Australia for producing barramundi fingerlings:

1. clear-water tank culture (considered intensive larval rearing);
2. green-water tank culture (semi-intensive larval rearing); and
3. pond culture (extensive larval rearing).

For more information on these 3 culture systems, see here

Barramundi are currently being farmed in Queensland, Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Western Australia. Queensland's barramundi industry has experienced the greatest expansion over recent years with commercial aquaculture production of plate-size fish growing from zero in 1986 to 349.4 tonnes (t) in 1996-97, worth $3.44 million (Lobegeiger et al., 1998). Estimated national production in 1995-96 was 529 tonnes, worth $5.83 million (Brown et al., 1997).

Barramundi move between fresh and salt water during various stages of their life cycle. Mature barramundi live in estuaries and associated coastal areas or in the lower reaches of rivers. Larvae and young juveniles inhabit seasonal brackish-water swamps associated with estuaries and older juveniles are found in the upper reaches of rivers (Schipp, 1996).

A total of 16 genetically distinct stocks of barramundi in various major river systems throughout Australia have been identified, although populations in WA have not been studied exhaustively (Makaira 1999). This has caused problems in developing barramundi aquaculture, particularly in WA, due to the variation in maturation and spawning stimuli between these genetically discrete populations.

As barramundi farming is well established in the Eastern States, the production phases and options for farming are well known. The flow chart on the preceding pages summarise these phases which are discussed in detail within this document. Initial attempts to induce spawning with WA-caught barramundi using Eastern States techniques were unsuccessful (Lawrence, 1995). It appears that current Australian spawning induction methods will require further modification before WA barramundi can be induced to spawn in a captive environment. The following description of spawning techniques are therefore based on techniques currently used by farmers in other States.

Hatchery production of barramundi commences with the spawning of captive breeding fish or 'broodstock' and is completed when the small fish or 'fingerlings' are 20 to 25mm long (Schipp, 1996). In preparation for examination of the spawning condition of the fish, the broodstock must first be caught and anaesthetised. Once anaesthetised, barramundi broodstock are cannulated to assess gonadal development (using a piece of silicon tubing, a small sample of eggs or sperm (milt) are removed from gonads and examined microscopically). Only animals with sufficient egg and sperm development are capable of being stimulated to complete their gonadal development and spawn. Suitable female fish should have a majority of tertiary yolk eggs with diameters of >0.4mm (400 microns), while male fish should produce at least a bead of milt when gently test stripped or have a 5mm milt plug in the catheter tube.

Captive barramundi broodstock that are held in recirculating systems (20 to 80t) and conditioned to a constant environment of salinity 30 to 36ppt, temperature 28o to 29oC and summer photoperiod (13 hour day length) are able to be induced to spawn using hormones year round (Garrett & O'Brien, 1994). For detailed instructions on the preparation and administration of hormones for barramundi broodstock please refer to Schipp (1996). Generally, a commercial barramundi hatchery holds between 25 and 70 brood fish, ranging in size from 3 to 20kg. Excess broodstock are preferred to ensure egg supply but the actual number required depends on the performance of the fish (i.e. fecundity, ease of spawning, regularity of spawning etc.), with the cost of holding broodstock requiring consideration.

Maintenance of genetic diversity in farmed populations is facilitated by use of large numbers of broodstock.

Eastern States barramundi spawn naturally in tanks following injection of luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone analogue (LHRH-a) at 19 to 27 micrograms per kilogram (�g/kg) of body weight. Each female releases 3 to 6 million eggs and the males immediately 'pirouette' around the females' tail, releasing their sperm (Figure 2). Males do not require hormonal stimulation as they receive visual cues from the female to release sperm (Garrett & O'Brien, 1994).

Diet for Farm Reared Barramundi:

In Australia, farmed barramundi are reared on dry, pelleted diets, in contrast to South-East Asia where they are usually reared on 'trash' fish or in association with a foraging species such as Tilapia spp (Barlow et al., 1996. Weaning fry from live feed to dry crumbles can be commenced with fry as small as 10 mm TL, but much better survival and quicker adaptation onto the dry diets is obtained if weaning is delayed until the fry are at least 15 to 20 mm TL (Barlow et al., 1996).

Barramundi are reared on progressively larger pellets as they grow from fingerling to market size. Most farmers prefer to use semi-floating extruded pellets as they float about 20cm from the water surface. Barramundi are reluctant to feed from the water surface or the pond or tank bottom. Diets produced by Australian fish feed manufacturers give good food conversion ratios (FCR) of 1.6 to 1.8:1 under commercial farm conditions (Barlow et al., 1996).

Recent research has shown use of high protein (> 55%) and high energy (> 18% fat) diets for juvenile and plate-sized barramundi can greatly improve growth, FCR (< 1.0 in experimental systems) and profitability of barramundi farming. Formulated feeds need to be stored correctly to avoid loss of nutrients, this is particularly important in the tropics where fats will quickly go rancid and vitamins break down if not stored in an air-conditioned room. Pelleted feed should not be stored for extended periods (Schipp, 1996).