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Japanese amberjack facts for kids

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Japanese amberjack
Seriola quinqueradiata (200810).jpg
Seriola quinqueradiata
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Synonyms
  • Seriola sparna Jenkins, 1903

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, from Korea to Hawaii.

It is greatly appreciated in Japan, where it is called hamachi or buri (). 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. These days, most aquaculturists use extruded pellets to feed the fish.

  • Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Seriola quinqueradiata" in FishBase. January 2006 version.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Seriola quinqueradiata para niños

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