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

1. The first phase, the hatchery phase, involves broodstock maintenance and larval rearing
2. The next phase is the nursery rearing
3. 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.