Harvesting and marketing of Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata)

Harvesting and marketing

The minimum market size of yellowtail is about 300g and that size can be harvested from August, after a growth of about four months. But the preferred size is about 1–1.2kg and this can be harvested only from October to December. Seines and drag nets have to be used for harvesting from ponds and enclosures, but harvesting from cages needs only dip nets and

similar simple devices. Dead fish are packed in ice for transport to markets.As there is a greater demand for live fish and they fetch a higher price, the cage culturists are at a greater advantage as most of the fish can be caught and transported alive. The fish are usually transported to markets by boat or trucks, in canvas tanks.

There are very few detailed records of the economics of yellowtail culture, but like all other types of farming, the cost and earnings are very much dependent on local conditions, the technology employed, and the skill and experience of the farmer.

Yellowtail culture in Japan is usually a family enterprise, and with the income from a production of 10–30 tons per cage farm unit, a family will have an income equivalent to that of a middle-class family in the country. Almost half the production cost consists of the price of feed and the cost of fingerlings. Labour and management costs will be around 10–11 per cent each.