Barramundi

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Barramundi

Barramundi (in foreground)

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Latidae
Genus:	Lates
Species:	L. calcarifer

Binomial name

Lates calcarifer
(Bloch, 1790)

Not to be confused with the Barramundi Cod or the Australian members of the genus Scleropages (which sometimes are referred to as Barramundis).

The Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) is a species of diadromous fish in family Latidae of order Perciformes. It ranges from northern and eastern Australia through the Torres Strait to New Guinea.

1 Origin of Name
2 Description
3 Lifecycle
4 Fishing
- 4.1 Recreational
- 4.2 Commercial
5 Food
6 External links
7 References

[edit] Origin of Name

Barramundi is a loanword from a Queensland Aboriginal language of the Rockhampton area^[1] meaning "large scales" or "large, scaly river" fish.^[2] Originally, the name barramundi referred to saratoga and Gulf saratoga.^[3] However, the name was appropriated for marketing reasons during the 1980s, a decision which has aided in raising the profile of this fish signicficantly.^[3]

Image:Aboriginal art barramundi rock art.jpg

Barramundi depicted in Aboriginal art

L. calcarifer is also known as the giant perch, giant seaperch, Asian seabass, Australian seabass, white seabass, and by a variety of names in other local languages, such as Siakap in Malay.

[edit] Description

Barramundi are usually a pale grey-green with a coppery shimmer, and can grow to a maximum length of 2 m (6 ft 7 in), weighing up to 60 kg (130 lb); specimens weighing 5–6 kg (11–13 lb) are more commonly seen, however. Of typical centropomid shape, it can be distinguished from the Waigeo seaperch (Psammoperca waigiensis) of the same waters by its closely-set nostrils and maxilla which extends back past the eye.

[edit] Lifecycle

The barramundi feeds on crustaceans, molluscs, and smaller fishes (including its own species); juveniles feed on zooplankton. This catadromous species inhabits rivers and descends to estuaries and tidal flats to spawn. At the start of the monsoon, males migrate downriver to meet females, who lay very large numbers of eggs (multiple millions each). The adults do not guard the eggs or the fry, which require brackish water to develop. The species is sequentially hermaphroditic, most individuals maturing as males and becoming female after at least one spawning season; most of the larger specimens are therefore female.

[edit] Fishing

[edit] Recreational

Highly prized by anglers for their good fighting ability, barramundi are reputed to be good at avoiding fixed nets and best caught on lines and with fishing lures. In Australia, the barramundi is used to stock freshwater reservoirs for recreational fishing.

[edit] Commercial

The fish is also of large commercial importance; it is fished internationally and raised in aquaculture in Australia, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Netherlands. Farmed in the UK by the Aquabella Group, a single facility produces up to 8 tonnes a year for distribution throughout the UK and Northern Europe.

[edit] Food

The fish's white flesh is delicate, mild-flavoured, and relatively boneless, making it a popular (and sometimes expensive) food which can be prepared in many ways. Barramundi was the theme ingredient in a Season 3 episode of Iron Chef America.

Consumers should be aware that Nile perch - a similar fish found in Lake Victoria, Africa - is often mislabeled as barramundi. However it does not fall under the recommendation for U.S. farmed barramundi. The species was originally assigned to genus Holocentrus, in the beryciform family Holocentridae.

Image:Barramundi perch 01.jpg

Barramundi piebald color morph