Barramundi - Growth

In the wild, Barramundi shows a distinct seasonal growth pattern. Maximum growth occurs at the start of autumn, down over winter and reaches a minimum at the beginning of spring (Xiao, 2000) (see Figure 4). The von Bertalanffy parameters describing the growth of seabass are L∞=690 mm, K =0.53, to=0.003 (Stuart and McKillup, 2002).

In captivity, growth depends on various factors including feeding rate, feed quality, stocking density and temperature (optimum between 28 and 32°C). In Australia, at suboptimal temperatures (22–27°C), 500 g barramundi are produced in one year in tanks, while 800g fish are obtained within the same period at higher temperatures (Tucker, 2001). Two years are generally required to produce 3 kg fish (Russel and Rimmer, 2004). There are no significant differences in growth rate in either fresh or salt water (MacKinnon, 1990 cited in Russel and Rimmer, 2004). Normal market size is in the range 250–600 g, but it is economical to raise the fish to 3 kg or more (Tucker, 2001).