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Barramundi
Barramundi (in foreground)
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Perciformes
Family:	Latidae
Genus:	Lates
Species:
Binomial name
*Lates calcarifer* (Bloch, 1790)
Synonyms^[2]
Holocentrus calcariferBloch, 1790 Coius vactiF. Hamilton, 1822 Pseudolates cavifronsAlleyne & W. J. Macleay, 1877 Lates darwiniensisW. J. Macleay, 1878

The barramundi (Lates calcarifer) or Asian sea bass, is a species of catadromousfish in the familyLatidae of the orderPerciformes. The species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific region from South Asia to Papua New Guinea and Northern Australia.

Bluestrip snapper Range: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to the Marquesas and Line Islands, north to southern Japan, south to Australia. Southeast Atlantic: East London, South Africa Synonyms: blue-stripe snapper, blue striped snapper; Lutjanus viridis Blue and gold snapper Range: Eastern Pacific: Mexico to Ecuador. Red (Atlantic) Halibut (Atlantic) Lobster: Spiny (Caribbean) Marlin Orange Roughy Pollock (Atlantic) Rockfish (Pacific) Sailfish Salmon (Atlantic) Sea Bass: Black Shark Shrimp: Imported Snapper: Red, Vermilion (Atlantic) Sturgeon: Caviar (wild) Tilefish Tuna: Albacore, Bigeye, Bluefin FISH TO EATbest choices FISH TO EATproceed with caution FISH.

Origin of name[edit]

Indigenous Australian rock art depicting barramundi fish

Barramundi is a loanword from an Australian Aboriginal language of the Rockhampton area in Queensland^[3] meaning 'large-scaled river fish'.^[4] Originally, the name barramundi referred to Scleropages leichardti and Scleropages jardinii.^[5]

However, the name was appropriated for marketing reasons during the 1980s, a decision that has aided in raising the profile of this fish significantly.^[5]L. calcarifer is broadly referred to as Asian seabass by the international scientific community, but is also known as Australian seabass.^{[citation needed]}

Description[edit]

This species has an elongated body form with a large, slightly oblique mouth and an upper jaw extending behind the eye. The lower edge of the preoperculum is serrated with a strong spine at its angle; the operculum has a small spine and a serrated flap above the origin of the lateral line. Its scales are ctenoid. In cross section, the fish is compressed and the dorsal head profile clearly concave. The single dorsal and ventral fins have spines and soft rays; the paired pectoral and pelvic fins have soft rays only; and the caudal fin has soft rays and is truncated and rounded.Barramundi are salt and freshwater sportfish, targeted by many. They have large, silver scales, which may become darker or lighter, depending on their environments. Their bodies can reach up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long, though evidence of them being caught at this size is scarce. The maximum weight is about 60 kg (130 lb). The average length is about 0.6–1.2 m (2.0–3.9 ft). Its genome size is about 700 Mb, which was sequenced and published in Animal Genetics (2015, in press) by James Cook University.^{[citation needed]}

Barramundi are demersal, inhabiting coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers; they are found in clear to turbid water, usually within a temperature range of 26−30 °C. This species does not undertake extensive migrations within or between river systems, which has presumably influenced establishment of genetically distinct stocks in Northern Australia.^{[citation needed]}

Lifecycle[edit]

Barramundi piebald colour morph

The barramundi feeds on crustaceans, molluscs, and smaller fish (including its own species); juveniles feed on zooplankton.The barramundi is euryhaline, but stenothermal. It inhabits rivers and descends to estuaries and tidal flats to spawn. In areas remote from fresh water, purely marine populations may become established.^{[citation needed]}

At the start of the monsoon, males migrate downriver to meet females, which lay very large numbers of eggs (several millions each). The adults do not guard the eggs or the fry, which require brackish water to develop. The species is sequentially hermaphroditic, with most individuals maturing as males and becoming female after at least one spawning season; most of the larger specimens are therefore female. Fish held in captivity sometimes demonstrate features atypical of fish in the wild; they change sex at a smaller size, exhibit a higher proportion of protogyny and some males do not undergo sexual inversion.^[6]

Recreational fishing[edit]

Prized by anglers and sport-fishing enthusiasts for their good fighting ability,^[7] barramundi are reputed to be good at avoiding fixed nets and are best caught on lines and with fishing lures. In Australia, the barramundi is used to stock freshwater reservoirs for recreational fishing.^{[citation needed]}

These 'impoundment barramundi', as they are known by anglers, have grown in popularity as a 'catch and release' fish. Popular stocked barramundi impoundments include Lake Tinaroo near Cairns in the Atherton Tablelands, Lake Proserpine west of Proserpine, Queensland, Teemburra Dam near Mackay, Lake Moondarra near Mount Isa, Lake Awoonga near Gladstone, and Lake Monduran south of Lake Awoonga.^{[citation needed]}

Commercial fishing and aquaculture[edit]

The fish is of commercial importance; it is fished internationally and raised in aquaculture in Australia,^[7]Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Israel, Thailand, the United States, Poland, and the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]} A Singapore investment firm has invested in an upcoming barramundi fish farm in Brunei.^{[citation needed]}The Australian barramundi industry is relatively established, with an annual production of more than 4000 tons. In the broader Southeast Asian region, production is estimated to exceed 30,000 tons. By contrast, the US industry produces about 800 tons a year from a single facility, Australis Aquaculture, LLC. In 2011, VeroBlue Farms in Iowa started and aims to produce 500 tons annually.^[8]Barramundi under culture commonly grow from a hatchery juvenile, between 50 and 100 mm in length, to a table size of 400-600 g within 12 months and to 3.0 kg within 18–24 months.^[6]

Aquarium use[edit]

Juveniles are a popular aquarium fish,^[7] and can be very entertaining, especially at feeding time. However, they grow quickly, so they are recommended to be kept in setups of 500 L or larger.In aquaria, they become quite tame and can be hand-fed; they are not aggressive, but their feeding reflex is violent and sudden, so they cannot be kept with any tank mates small enough to be swallowed.^{[citation needed]}

As food[edit]

Red Snapper Bengali Name