Harvest and slaughter methods for farmed Barramundi to minimise fish stress and achieve premium market quality and improved fish welfare outcomes

Abstract

This year, the Australian Barramundi Farmer’s Association (ABFA) has learned how harvest teams on farms can take simple preparatory steps to ensure the quality and consistency of Australian farmed Barramundi reaching the market. Seafood scientists from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) have worked with the farmers that have nurtured their Barramundi for the last two years through the grow-out phase and have demonstrated through on-farm trials that the harvest phase is just as crucial. Research undertaken with farmers has shown that it is important to keep water dissolved oxygen levels above 5.0 mg/L as the fish are concentrated together beside the pond bank for harvest, particularly at high water temperatures. The next step is to have the correct number of ice slurry bins on hand to receive the tonnage the farm plans to harvest, with the correct ratio of fish, brine and ice to ensure a rapid chill. The researchers put forth these recommendations after comparing post-mortem changes in key quality indicators in Barramundi harvested at three farms in North Queensland. These were compared to results in similar fish harvested under controlled conditions at a Barramundi farm (rested versus stressed). All data gained will serve as a baseline ‘toolbox’ to compare future harvest technologies that will be adopted to progress the pursuit of quality.