Year-Round Delicious Taste with Full-Life Cycle Farmed Kurose Buri (Japanese amberjack) | Part 1 | Establishing Japanese Amberjack Farming Independent of Wild-Caught Seeds

Today, as representative of the Japanese amberjack raised in Shibushi Bay, I will ask these two long-time experts about what full-life cycle aquaculture means and the farming technology behind our Kurose Buri!

I've spent the last 15 years researching Japanese amberjack farming since joining Nissui, focusing mainly on artificial juveniles research at the Oita Marine Biological Technology Center.

I have been with Kurose Suisan, a Nissui Group company, for about 14 years, and am currently in charge of planning, management and sales development.

Please tell me about full-life cycle aquaculture.

Full-life cycle aquaculture refers to the complete cycle of artificially collecting eggs from farmed fish, raising them to maturity, and then collecting eggs from these fish again. The juvenile fish produced in this cycle are called artificial juveniles. In contrast, conventional Japanese amberjack farming involves catching wild juvenile fish (known as 'mojako').

So it's a farming method that doesn't rely on catching wild juvenile fish or collecting eggs from wild adults?

Yes, at Kurose Suisan, we've been working on full-life cycle aquaculture, and in 2022, all our shipped fish came from artificial juveniles. Since full-life cycle aquaculture doesn't use wild juvenile fish, it's a sustainable initiative that reduces the burden on limited marine resources.

At Kurose Suisan's Ei Seedling Center, we produce artificial seeds in cooperation with the Oita Marine Biological Technology Center, where Mr. Miki works.

I heard Nissui started Japanese amberjack farming in 2004.

It's been over 20 years since Nissui launched its Japanese amberjack farming business. I've been researching artificial juveniles for 15 years.

I've heard that things didn't go as planned in the beginning.

We had our share of challenges early on, affecting both our fishing boats and processing operations. But once the technology was established, production stabilized and we achieved fish weighing 4.5 kg. I was really happy when someone at the processing plant said: "I've never seen Japanese amberjack in such good condition at this time of year (spring)!"

Our goal is to share this exceptional fish with people around the world, not just in Japan. By continuing to improve our production methods, we hope to introduce our Japan-brand Kurose Buri to global markets. The taste really is something special!

To that end, the Oita Marine Biological Technology Center is working together with Kurose Suisan Co., Ltd. to expand production of even better fish.

This concludes Part 1. In Part 2, we'll reveal the secrets behind the delicious taste of Kurose Buri. We look forward to sharing more with you!