February 11, 2026

Japanese university achieves world's first complete aquaculture of blackthroat seaperch

Japan's Kindai University said on February 5 that it has achieved the world's first complete aquaculture of blackthroat seaperch, a popular and expensive fish in the country.

The university plans to serve farmed blackthroat seaperch, also known as rosy seabass or nodoguro in Japanese, at its restaurants and sell them to fish farmers within five years. It aims to establish stable breeding technology and improve breeds.

According to the university's Aquaculture Research Institute in Wakayama Prefecture, researchers successfully hatched eggs in 2016 and produced more than 30,000 young fish in 2023.

In August last year, they began collecting eggs from five artificially hatched and raised females, and in October, they succeeded in hatching the next generation after hormone administration and artificial insemination. About 7,000 of the young fish are expected to grow to edible size in about three years.

Much remains unknown about the ecology of blackthroat seaperch. It is believed that young fish separate into males and females as they grow. As more than 90% of the university's artificial hatchings are male, it remains a challenge to increase the proportion of females.

"I think the market (for farmed blackthroat seaperch) will grow once we begin to supply young fish to aquaculture farmers," said professor Keitaro Kato, head of the institute.

- The Japan Times