National Centre for Fisheries & Aquaculture

Aquaculture species: Yellowtail Kingfish

Scientific name: Seriola lalandi lalandi

Māori names: kahu, haku

Description

Yellowtail kingfish are widely distributed throughout the warm–temperate waters of the southern hemisphere. New Zealand kingfish, also known as kingi or yellowtail, are found from the Kermadec Islands to Banks Peninsula during the summer months. In the wild they can reach 1.7 m in length and weigh 56 kg. Their long and streamlined bodies are greeny blue on the dorsal surface shading to silvery white beneath. The common name “yellowtail” comes from their bright yellow fins (particularly the caudal fin), but they also have a distinctive golden brown stripe running laterally from the snout to the tail. They are rapacious carnivores, feeding mainly on small pelagic fish such as trevally, piper and garfish. Yellowtail is a highly prized gamefish, for which New Zealand currently holds the most International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world records.

Why are kingfish farmed?

Commercial catches of New Zealand kingfish are small, seasonal and unpredictable and they are not included in the Quota Management System (QMS). Closely related species are farmed overseas, so aquaculture of the New Zealand species can provide a reliable and controlled production of kingfish to supply growing domestic and international markets. NIWA’s research has identified kingfish as an ideal aquaculture species because it is highly valuable (earning up to $17 per kilogram on the European market), has a rapid growth rate (reaching marketable size of 3 kg in 12–15 months), is amenable to aquaculture conditions, has excellent flesh quality for a range of product options (such as whole fillets, sushi and the highly valued sashimi) and has significant domestic and international market opportunities. Kingfish is also a high-value recreational species and a traditional food source for Māori.

How are kingfish farmed?

Japan has a long and successful history of farming Seriola species and currently produces 150,000 tonnes per annum. This industry largely relies on wild-catching of the fry, which are then on-grown in sea cages, with just a small volume produced from artificially reared juveniles. Hatchery production of kingfish has recently started in South Australia, involving broodstock conditioning, controlled spawning, larval rearing, and juvenile production for on-growing in seacages.

How is NIWA research helping kingfish aquaculture?

NIWA is at the forefront of kingfish aquaculture research and is rapidly developing the commercial-scale production technology needed to capitalise on this potentially lucrative market. In 1998, NIWA and Moana Pacific Fisheries Ltd embarked on a joint research initiative to assess the potential for commercial kingfish aquaculture in New Zealand. This R&D project has established a captive breeding population of kingfish that spawn in breeding tanks from October to January. Eggs have been collected, reared through the larval and juvenile stages and successfully on-grown to 3 kg in 12–15 months. NIWA scientists have also examined the reproductive and stress biology of kingfish; examined their egg-production cycles; assessed protein and fatty acid profiles during egg and larval development; and identified the main bottlenecks limiting commercial scale hatchery production. The lifecycles of monogenean parasites have also been examined and effective parasite treatments developed.

Current kingfish research at NIWA’s Bream Bay Aquaculture Park is aimed at improving kingfish culture techniques. In the 2002/03 season NIWA produced 30,000 fingerlings, some of which went into the first seacage farming of kingfish in New Zealand.

Who to contact for more information

Aquaculture

Mr Steve Pether
Ph 09 432 5516
[email protected]

Business development opportunities

Dr Michael Bruce
Ph 09 375 2035
[email protected]

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