The Fisheries Research Institute has developed artificial reproduction techniques for blackthroat sea perch, making Taiwan the second country in the world, after Japan, to breed the highly sought-after fish, the institute said on Monday.
Popular among Taiwanese for its taste and attractive color, blackthroat sea perch (Doederleinia berycoides) fetches NT$1,400 to NT$2,000 per kilogram for a large catch due to its short supply.
Blackthroat sea perch is a deep-sea fish typically found at depths of 400m below the sea’s surface, which poses challenges for artificial breeding, due to the distinct atmospheric pressure conditions between deep-sea and aquaculture environments, Fisheries Research Institute Director-General Chang Chin-i (張錦宜) said.
Photo: CNA
With the help of local fishers in September and October last year, institute researchers caught blackthroat sea perch that had ascended to depths of 200m below sea level for breeding, Chang said.
The researchers conducted artificial insemination using sperm and eggs from sexually mature male and female fish captured in the wild, and the artificially fertilized eggs were sent to the institute’s Tungkang Aquaculture Research Center for further cultivation, he said.
Fisheries Research Institute assistant researcher Lee Yen-Hung (李彥宏), who has been involved in the development of artificial reproduction techniques for the fish since 2007, said that of 50,000 artificially fertilized eggs, only 500 juvenile fish, or fries, averaging 3cm in length had been bred.
Japan has released fries into Toyama Bay since 2016, Lee said, adding that he hoped that in three years, when the initial batch of artificially bred blackthroat sea perch become sexually mature, the researchers would be able to breed a second batch from the first.
That would establish a “full-life cycle aquaculture” for blackthroat sea perch, he said.
“We have just successfully artificially bred it, following the progress of Japan. If everything goes as planned, we might be the first in the world to achieve full-life cycle aquaculture three years later,” Lee said.
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