NORTH AMERICAN TARGET SPECIES
Hirame (Paralichthys olivaceus) - An important Japanese food-fish, which attains a large size, the hirame, also known as the olive flounder, bastard halibut or Japanese halibut is a temperate marine species of large-tooth flounder native to the north-western Pacific Ocean. It is often referred to as the Japanese flatfish or Korea(n) flatfish (광어) when mentioned in the context of those countries. It can reach a length of 41 inches and a weight of 20 lbs. It is the most common flatfish species raised in aquaculture in Korea. They are raised in Japan and China as well. It is the most highly prized of the Japanese flounders.
Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) - This is probably the most colorful of all the tunas. The back is blue black, fading to silver on the lower flanks and belly. A golden yellow or iridescent blue stripe runs from the eye to the tail, though this is not always prominent. All the fins and finlets are golden yellow though in some very large specimens the elongated dorsal and anal fins may be silver edged with yellow. The finlets have black edges. The belly frequently shows as many as 20 vertical rows of whitish spots. It is highly esteemed both as a sport fish and as table fare. Its flesh is very light compared to that of other tunas, with the exception of the albacore, which has white meat.
Blackfin Tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) - This is a pelagic, schooling fish that generally feeds near the surface. Its diet consists of small fishes, squid, crustaceans, and plankton. An excellent light tackle species, it can be taken by trolling or casting small baits or lures, including ballyhoo, mullet and other small fishes as well as strip baits, spoons, feathers, jigs, or plugs; or by live bait fishing from boats at the surface of deep waters one to two miles offshore. It has some local commercial importance, but is predominantly an angler's fish. It is a spunky game species and the flesh is of good quality and flavor.
Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) - The smallest fish form the largest schools and vice versa. Its extensive migrations of all fish, appear to be tied to water temperature, spawning habits, and the seasonal movements of fishes on which the bluefin feeds. The giants of the species make the longest migrations. This is the largest tuna and one of the largest true bony fish. Bluefin tuna are supreme in their size, strength and speed, and are a very important game fish. They are also extremely important commercially in many parts of the world.
Mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus) - The mahi-mahi or common dolphinfish is a surface-dwelling ray-finned fish found in off-shore temperate, tropical and subtropical waters worldwide. Also widely called dorado and dolphin, it is one of two members of the Coryphaenidae family, the other being the pompano dolphinfish. Mahi-mahi can be found in the Caribbean Sea, on the west coast of North and South America, the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic coast of Florida and West Africa, South China Sea and Southeast Asia, Hawaii, Tahiti and many other places worldwide. They are highly sought for sport fishing and commercial purposes. Sport fishermen seek them due to their beauty, size, food quality, and healthy population. Mahi-mahi is popular in many restaurants.
American Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) - The northern or "American" red snapper is found in the Gulf of Mexico and the southeastern Atlantic coast of the United States and much less commonly northward as far as Massachusetts. In Latin American Spanish, it is known as huachinango, pargo, or chillo. They are a prized food fish, caught commercially, as well as recreationally. It is used in Vietnamese canh chua ("Sour soup"). Red snapper is the most commonly caught snapper in the continental USA (almost 50% of the total catch), with similar species being more common elsewhere. They eat almost anything, but prefer small fish and crustaceans. Interest in recreational fishing for northern red snapper, and in the Gulf of Mexico in general, has increased dramatically. From 1995–2003, the number of Louisiana fishing charter guide license holders increased eight-fold.Researchers estimate the bycatch of young red snapper, especially by shrimp trawlers, is a significant concern.
"Mini-mahi" (Coryphaena hippurus) - The mini-mahi is a culinary experiment where we harvest the mahi after only 30 - 50 days depending on the chef's preferences. It is being fed on the finest feeds available, and being tested by some of the world's top chefs right now to assess its commercial viability.
SOUTH EAST ASIAN TARGET SPECIES
Humpback Grouper (Cromileptes altivelis) - The humpback grouper is a medium-sized fish which grows up to 70 cm. Its particular body shape makes this grouper quite impossible to mix up with other fishes. Its body is compressed laterally and is relatively high. This stocky and strange visual effect is accented by its concave profile and its elongated snout which gives it a humpbacked appearance.
The young have a white background with round black spots and are continuously swimming head down. The adults have a body colouration with variances of grey and beige with darker blotches variable in size on the body. Small black spots cover the whole body.
Hybrid grouper - is a new type of grouper produced by fertilizing the eggs of the Tiger Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) with the sperm of the Giant Grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) through the in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique. The first hybrid grouper was cross-bred by researches from Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Malaysia, in collaboration among researchers of the Borneo Marine Research Institute of UMS, the Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia (LKIM) and Kinki University of Japan, represented by Prof. Dr Shigeharu Senoo of UMS.
The Coral Trout (Plectropomus leopardus) is a species of fish in the Serranidae family, which includes groupers and coral cod (not related to true cod), which are all characterized by having three spines on the gill cover and a large mouth lined with more than one row of sharp teeth. Native to the western Pacific Ocean, its natural habitat includes open seas and coral reefs. Coral trout are piscivorous; juveniles mostly eat crustaceans, especially prawns, and adults feed upon a variety of reef fish, particularly damselfish.
Coral trout are the favorite target fish for all sectors of the fishery because they are a good food fish and command high market prices locally and overseas. The total amount of Coral Trout caught commercially in Australia in 2010 was 974 tons, the majority coming from the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (Queensland).