Culture of sea bass

Abstract

Sea bass or giant sea perch, known as pla kaphong, pla kaphong khao, or pla kaphong namjerd in Thailand, is one of the large brackishwater fish. The species is found mainly in estuaries and mangrove swamps adjacent to the sea. Sea bass is one of the economically important fishes, distributed widely along the coast in the Gulf of Thailand and the Andaman coast. It is also found in the Indo-Pacific and Australian regions.

Sea bass is an important local food fish because of its tasty and nutritious meat. It is an expensive fish compared with other species. Most sea bass sold in the market come from the natural watersheds. At present the supply is insufficient due to large demands. Since the marine capture fisheries have declined, coastal aquaculture has been fostered to compensate for the loss of fishery production from capture fisheries. Intensive promotion of sea bass culture can help to meet this objective.