New Forest Barramundi

[nmonks]

Whilst shopping for dinner at Waitrose, I was surprised to see (dead) barramundi, apparently farm-grown in England. I wonder how long before we see a few youngsters offered for sale in the pet shops? I only ask because a couple of weeks back, someone on the brackish forum noticed a similar fish on sale in California.

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=139270

Anyway, the web site for the fish farm is here:

http/www.aquab.com/

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Fella]

Curious find, I'm assuming these fish grow to giant size? I often scour the fish counter at the local supermarket keeping an eye out for interesting fish but nothing further than sea bass, red snapper or tuna turns up at my local sainsburys.

How do these guys taste?

It's only a matter of time like you say, before these reach the aquarium trade then.

 

[nmonks]

Yep, they get pretty big (1.8m, 60 kg), and since these are farmed fish, one would assume they've already been selected for large size and fast growth. The ones in Waitrose were small, about 40-50 cm long. Quite handsome fish, and I'm sure they look wonderful in aquaria.

Didn't buy one I'm afraid... will try one out some time. I'd imagine they taste much like other predatory perciforms such as seabass or pike-perch, i.e., yummy.

(The downside is environmental impact. Farming predatory fish needs 10 kg of fodder fish (to make fish meal pellets) for every 1 kg of predatory fish sold at market. The fodder fish is usually marine stuff and includes things like sand eels and small clupeids. There's some evidence that overfishing these things has a serious negative impact on the wild animals that feed on them, such as seabirds; certainly, overfishing has caused a collapse in stocks of sand eels at certain places around the UK. Omnivore fish, like tilapia, don't need fish meal, and will eat pretty much anything.)

The rumour is those Takifugu puffers being traded periodically are siphoned off fish farms, where they're being researched for things like up-market sushi. You only need to see how regularly things like tilapia, Pangasius cats, and channel cats turn up in aquarium stores to see that species common in aquaculture have a habit of being offered as pets.

Cheers,

Neale

 

[Joviella]

This topic makes me want to ask the question"Does anyone get put off eating fish,when they keep so many?"
Personally I enjoy eating fish, but when I go to the local fishmongers to pick up whitebait to feed to my fish,I see catfish etc for sale and I really couldn't think about eating one. Is it just me,or do other people feel the same?......For me it would be like eating a different kitten to the one you have at home!!

 

[Dragonscales]

They are a very nice eating fish, I love them. I wouldn't say that Barra are the best Australia has to offer but they are right up there, that's for sure.

 

[neon_platy]

i thought this post was soo weird since i just saw barramundi on Iron Chef the other week and looked sooo good after it was killed/cooked....anyway they were huge...mmmm no im hungry for fish, and in response to that i have tons of fish and the worst ive felt was buying fish and sushi at same day and having both bags right next to each other LOL

 

[Dragonscales]

There is a fish and chip shop near me that does the best battered red emporor. It is one of the best pieces of fish I have ever tried. If any of you ever find yourself in Ballarat one day, Northway fish and chips is 100% recommended

 

[pica_nuttalli]

things like tilapia, Pangasius cats, and channel cats turn up

heh, that reminds of me of the one guy on Aquabid who always has an auction for "RARE**HOT** 20 TILAPIA MAMFE**HOT**RARE" every time I see that I think if they're so "rare", how come you've got so many for sale?

 

[diburning]

best place to get medium sized barramundis: asian markets. they have them alive in tanks for sale for food, but if you tell them to get one and don't slaughter it, and tell them to weigh it then put some water in it. Then pay ofr it, take it home, and put it in your tank.

barras cost around $15USD each for a medium sized one. (like $9USD a pound)

 

[T1KARMANN]

i have already seen them for sale in wildwoods in endfield london

 

[bunjiweb]

oh dear god why.... this is one thing that does confuse me about some of Wildwoods choice of stock...

Ben

 

[nmonks]

Oh, the humanity....

When I posted that piece about barramundi, I knew it would be a matter of time before some insane tropical fish store proprietor decided to buy some in. After all, he could probably get them from the fish farm as fingerlings at a couple of quid a piece. Instand profit. But still, who, in their right mind, is going to buy a fish that could eat an arowana and still have room for a red-tail catfish on toast?

I agree with bunjiweb about Wildwoods; while it's always fun to look around, I am surprised by their choice of fish. They seem to have very few mini-oddballs (which Wholesale Trops, for example, seems to do quite well). But they have all these giant catfish and killer characins and goodness knows what. Someone must be buying them, but who? Most of the profiles here seem to be of people with 10 and 20 gallon tanks... surely these aren't the people getting pet barramundi!

Cheers,

Neale

i have already seen them for sale in wildwoods in endfield london

 

[OohFeeshy]

All shops are like that though- one I went to earlier has a tank with 7 or 8 giraffe cats in, with a warning that they're only for 'expert catfish keepers, grow to 36"', but how many catfish experts with a tank big enough are going to go there? Um, none. And it's even more stupid considering they have a 2ft one on their display tank, probably got too big for someones tank.

 

[T1KARMANN]

All shops are like that though- one I went to earlier has a tank with 7 or 8 giraffe cats in, with a warning that they're only for 'expert catfish keepers, grow to 36"', but how many catfish experts with a tank big enough are going to go there? Um, none. And it's even more stupid considering they have a 2ft one on their display tank, probably got too big for someones tank.

as long as the tanks are marked with what size the fish can get to and the shop keeprs point out how big they get then theirs not much that can be done

its the same on forums we can all point out the size and no compatabilaty of some types of fish but it doesnt mean that people will take notice

the problem is with people buying the fish its the same with everything if you cant drive a big powerfull motor bike or car it doesnt mean you can buy one if you cant write you can still buy a pen

i cant spell but i still have a keyboard

 

[Xebadir]

Interesting fact: Barramundi have a built in growth limiting system. Being from the dryest continent on the planet there is no advantage in growing to large, especially in the less brackish systems where the dry season reduces food and pool size. This means that unless there is an abundance of food, and a change to more freshwater(in effect a wet season) they will not grow very large. It is very rare that kept fish(often easy to find in australian aquariums) grow much larger than 1-2 feet long (dont ask me why, with limited water space this is what happens). Also never keep more than one in a tank, unless you want a serious fight.