Buri(Yellowtail) and Madai(Red Sea Bream)

Auspicious fish: yellowtail and red sea bream

Surrounded by the sea, Japan is blessed with high-quality seafood. Among these, the fatty yellowtail and the beautiful red-coloured sea bream have been loved traditionally as fish of good omen. Each has its own best season, but development of aquafarming techniques with reduced burden on the environment has made it possible to eat tasty fish all year round. Aquafarming has also helped stable supply, which has led to an increase in exports to other countries (Figures 1 and 2). Japan's aquafarming technology is world-class. Here we introduce you to fantastic yellowtails and red sea breams raised in Japan.

What is aquafarming?

The industry of artificially growing fish and shellfish is known as aquafarming. Because an ideal diet of calculated calories and nutrients is fed, farmed fish are often more nutritious, and as tasty as wild fish. In addition to the development of feed with low environmental impact, AI and IoT technologies have been utilized to feed the fish at the optimum timing and quantity. By avoiding feed left behind to pollute the sea, our feeding system ensures earth-friendly sustainable aquafarming.

Buri (YelowtaIl)

Yellowtail is endemic to Japan. It is known as a “promotion” fish because it changes its name as they grow and change size. Yellowtail is also remarkable in nutritional aspects. In addition to protein of good quality, it is rich in EPA, which is assumed to improve quality of blood and lower risks of arteriosclerosis, DHA, which is said to boost brain and nerve functions, as well as B vitamins and vitamin D. Yellowtail is a migratory fish, intrinsically could not be a stable source. Thanks to advancement in aquafarming technology, nowadays, it has become possible for good-quality yellowtail to be available all year round.

Madai (Red Sea Bream)

With a name that translates to 'happy', the red sea bream is a fish served on festive occasions as a symbol of good fortune. There are approximately 100 species of fish in the family Sparidae in the world, 13 of which live in the seas around Japan. The most common of which is the red sea bream. This white fish has a light, elegant flavour and go along very well with any dish. In recent years, Japanese aquafarming technology has developed and the catch of completely-farmed red sea bream is about four times compared with that of wild-caught. The sea bream is 100% fully farmed from hatching, and thanks to the ingenious feeding and breeding methods, farmed sea bream that is as tasty as natural bream can be now and widely available in the market.