### Introduction
- *Common Names*: Giant sea perch, Barramundi, Kalanji (Kerala), Koduva (Tamil Nadu), Bhetki (West Bengal)
- *Scientific Name*: Lates calcarifer
- *Meaning*: "Calcari" refers to limestone spur, and "Fera" means wild beast, describing the sharp edges of the gill cover
### Taxonomic Classification
- *Order*: Perciformes
- *Family*: Latidae
- *Genus*: Lates
- *Species*: L. calcarifer
### Distribution and Habitat
- *Geographical Distribution*: Indo-West Pacific, from Arabian Gulf to Taiwan, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and northern Australia
- *Habitat*: Coastal seas, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers; euryhaline (tolerates wide range of salinity) and eurythermal (tolerates wide range of temperature)
### Biology and Life Cycle
- *Diet*: Carnivorous; larvae feed on yolk sac (<2.05mm), zooplankton (>2.05mm), chopped trash fish/brine shrimp (juveniles), and chopped trash fish (adults)
- *Life Cycle*:
- *Larvae and Juveniles*: Found in seagrass beds for 6 months, then move to estuaries for 2-3 years
- *Spawning*: Occurs in lagoons
- *Sexual Maturity*: Males (1.5-2.5 kg), females (4-6 kg); protandrous hermaphrodites (males transform to females with age)
### Breeding and Culture
- *Peak Breeding Season*: April to August
- *Sex Ratio*: 1:1 (male:female)
- *Fecundity*: 10-20 million eggs
- *Induced Breeding*: LH-RH used for inducing spawning
### Culture Techniques
- *Nursery Rearing*:
- Pond size: 250-500m²
- Stocking density: 40-50 fry/m²
- Duration: 6-8 weeks
- *Pond Culture*:
- Monoculture: 5000-15000 fingerlings/ha, 8-10 months, 2.5-5 tons/ha yield
- Polyculture: With tilapia, 3000-5000 seabass fingerlings/ha, 8-12 months, 3-4 tons/ha yield
- *Cage Culture*:
- Ideal size: 10-50m², mesh size 2-8cm
- Floating net cages: Depth >4m, feeble water current
- Stationary net cages: Shallow water areas, 2-4m depth
### Feed and Feeding Rates
- *Fingerlings*: 10% of total biomass
- *Harvest Time*: 2-2.5% of total biomass
### Stocking Density and Harvest
- *Stocking Density*:
- Nursery: 40-50 nos/m²
- Pond: 4000-5000 nos/ha
- Cages: 25-30 nos/m²
- RAS: 5000-6000 nos/ha
- *Harvest*:
- Sold as live and export products
- Cost: ₹400-600/kg (live), ₹400-900/kg (export products like frozen fish, fillets, steaks, smoked seabass)¹
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