AUSTRALIAN BREAKTHROUGH IN BARRAMUNDI SPAWNING
Scientists at the Darwin Aquaculture Centre have
succeeded in spawning captive barramundi cod (Cromileptes altivelis) for the
first time in Australia. A spokesman for the Northern Territory Department
of Primary Industry and Fisheries said the spawning was an important step
forward in the barramundi cod research project.
“Our close working relationship with the Gondol
Research Laboratory in Indonesia and the exchange of scientific information
on this project have contributed to this success, which allows us to take
the next step towards developing commercial production of barramundi cod in
Australia.”
Barramundi cod is a high value species on the live
export market, currently fetching A$80 to A$100 per kg on the Hong Kong and
southern Chinese markets. The tropical reef fish is heavily in demand in
Asia for its succulent flesh and grows to the perfect eating size of 1 to 2
kg within 24 months.
Both golden snapper and barramundi cod have a problem
of high mortality in the larval rearing stage. The Darwin Aquaculture Centre
has developed an innovative technique using copepods for the production of
golden snapper and it now hopes to apply this technology to barramundi cod.
The Centre has achieved survival rates of up to 40 per cent in golden
snapper using its copepod technology, compared to survival rates of one to
four per cent at other research centres.
(article in Fish Farmer International File, Vol. 15,
No. 6, November/December 2001)