Japanese amberjack facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Japanese amberjack |
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| Seriola quinqueradiata | |
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The Japanese amberjack, also known as yellowtail, is a type of fish called Seriola quinqueradiata. It belongs to the Carangidae family, which includes many kinds of jack fish. This amazing fish lives in the northwest Pacific Ocean, in areas from Korea all the way to Hawaii.
What is a Japanese Amberjack?
The Japanese amberjack is a popular fish, especially in Japan. There, people call it hamachi or buri (鰤). These fish are enjoyed both cooked and raw. They are a special treat during the colder months because their meat has more fat, making it extra tasty. Many people think of amberjack as a winter delicacy, especially in the Toyama and Hokuriku region of Japan.
Sometimes, you might see "yellowtail tuna" on a menu. However, the Japanese amberjack is not a tuna at all! Tuna, mackerels, and bonitos belong to a different fish family called Scombridae. The Japanese amberjack is from the Carangidae family, so it's a completely different kind of fish.
How Japanese Amberjack are Farmed
Many Japanese amberjack are caught in the wild, but a lot of them are also raised on farms. About 120,000 tonnes of these fish are farmed each year. This helps make sure there's enough fish for everyone to enjoy.
To start a fish farm, workers go out in May to find tiny wild baby fish. These baby amberjack are called mojako. They often hide under floating seaweed in the ocean. Workers carefully scoop up the seaweed and the mojako together. Then, they place the tiny fish into special cages in the sea.
The small mojako grow bigger, reaching about 10 to 50 grams in weight. At this stage, in eastern Japan (the Kantō area), they are called inada. These young fish are then sold to fish farmers. The farmers continue to raise them until they become even larger. When they reach about 3 kilograms, they are called hamachi. If they grow to 5 kilograms, they are known as buri. Today, most fish farmers feed the amberjack special food pellets to help them grow healthy and strong.
Images for kids
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Japanese amberjack (juvenile form)
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Soup with Japanese amberjack, Japanese: 鰤の吸物
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Bangeo-hoe (raw amberjack), Korean: 방어회
See also
In Spanish: Hamachi para niños
Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2006). "Seriola quinqueradiata" in FishBase. January 2006 version.
