Buri

The Japanese amberjack Seriola quinqueradiata, also called yellowtail, is a fast-swimming pelagic fish native to the northwest Pacific Ocean, from Japan to the Hawaiian islands. It grows to 1.5 meters long and up to 40Kg on a mostly piscivorous diet of small fish (such as anchovies and sardines) and squid. Japanese amberjack is very popular in Japan, used mostly raw as sashimi (where it is called hamachi if it comes from fish up to 3-5 Kg, and Buri if from fish larger than 5 kg). Wild Japanese amberjack stocks started to decline in the 1960s, and at this time commercial farming started to rapidly expand, especially in Japan, where it makes up 57% of farmed marine fish production. Japan produces between 140,000-160,000 tonnes/year, which in 2004 was worth almost $1.3 billion. Farms are populated by harvesting wild juveniles less than 1.5cm (called mojako) using fine-meshed nets; once they are big enough they are grown in pen nets submerged in the open ocean, harvest size depends on size of the pen. Japanese amberjack farming has been criticized as environmentally unsound, fish are grown in dense conditions causing pollution of rearing areas and promoting disease; farming requires 8 lbs of fish (often sardines) for 1 lb of Japanese amberjack (although often formulated pellets are now used as food); and the practice of removing larval fish from the environment to sustain the industry rather than rearing fish from eggs contributes to overall decline of wild stocks. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department; Trenor 2009; Wikipedia 2012)

Scutes absent. Compared to S. lalandi, the species' dorsoposterior corner of upper jaw is angular (versus rounded) and the pectoral and pelvic fins are almost equal in length (versus pectoral shorter than pelvic fin).

Benedenia Infestation 1. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

Axine Infection. Parasitic infestations (protozoa, worms, etc.)

Iridovirosis. Viral diseases

Vibriosis Disease (general). Bacterial diseases

Chattonella Infection. Toxic syndroms

Oceanodromous. Migrating within oceans typically between spawning and different feeding areas, as tunas do. Migrations should be cyclical and predictable and cover more than 100 km.

Dorsal spines (total): 6 - 7; Dorsal soft rays (total): 29 - 36; Analspines: 3; Analsoft rays: 17 - 22; Vertebrae: 24

Exhibits shoaling habit. Plankton feeder. Juveniles are found among floating seaweeds.

Adults exhibit shoaling habit (Ref. 9988). They feed on plankton. Juveniles are found among floating seaweeds (Ref. 12114, 12115). Collection of young is the basis for prosperous aquaculture in Japan. Raised in captivity and marketed fresh for sashimi (Ref. 9988).

fisheries: highly commercial; aquaculture: commercial; gamefish: yes; price category: very high; price reliability: questionable: based on ex-vessel price for species in this genus

The Japanese amberjack or yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata, is a species of jack fish in the family Carangidae. It is native to the northwest Pacific Ocean, ranging from China (called 鰤魚), Korea (called 방어), and Japan to Hawaii.

It is greatly appreciated in Japan, where it is called hamachi or buri (鰤). These fish are eaten either cooked or raw and are a seasonal favourite in the colder months when the meat has a higher fat content. Amberjack is typically thought of as a winter delicacy of Toyama and the Hokuriku region. Although it is frequently listed on menus as "yellowtail tuna," it is a fish of an entirely different family, the Carangidae, rather than the family Scombridae that includes tunas, mackerels, and bonitos.

Some of the fish consumed are caught wild, but a substantial amount is farmed (about 120,000 tonnes per year). To populate the pens, every May, workers fish for the small wild fry (called mojako), which can be found under floating seaweed. They scoop out the seaweed together with the mojako and put the mojako in cages in the sea.

The small fry grow until they reach 10 to 50 grams in mass; the fry are called inada in eastern Japan (Kantō). They are then sold to aquaculturists, who grow them until they reach 3 kilograms (youth, called hamachi) or 5 kilograms (adult, called buri).

Juvenile Japanese amberjack

Suimono (clear soup) with Japanese amberjack

Bangeo-hoe (Hangul: 방어회), raw amberjack