Gyeonggi Province has succeeded in developing a dedicated feed for the yellow pufferfish, which is mainly caught in the Han River and Imjin River, just 1 year and 8 months after starting research to cultivate it as an aquaculture species.
On the 17th, the Gyeonggi Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute announced the results of the "Development of Eco-friendly Aquaculture Technology for Yellow Pufferfish" and stated that from next year, they plan to conduct demonstration growth trials by deploying the institute-developed feed in the field.
The yellow pufferfish is a fish of the genus Takifugu in the pufferfish family. It grows in the sea for 2 to 3 years and then ascends rivers from April to June to spawn. It is a premium species caught only in spring during the spawning season, with prices reaching around 200,000 KRW per kilogram. The problem is that it takes 2 to 3 years to grow juvenile yellow pufferfish, which weigh about 5g, to a marketable size of around 300g, making aquaculture economically unfeasible.
To address this issue, the Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute has been promoting the development of three high (高) enhancement technologies to improve the growth, functionality, and marketability of yellow pufferfish since October 2022.
The dedicated feed developed by the institute is fortified with garlic powder and minerals, and compared to existing commercial feeds, it accelerates growth by about 4 months and improves the texture and flavor of the flesh.
Faster growth also means reduced production costs. Typically, the production cost per kilogram of yellow pufferfish, including feed, fuel, and labor costs, is known to be about 20,000 KRW per year. The institute explained that by feeding the dedicated yellow pufferfish feed, growth is accelerated by about 4 months, allowing production costs to be reduced to about one-third of 20,000 KRW per kilogram, saving approximately 6,000 to 7,000 KRW.
Experiments to verify the quality of yellow pufferfish fed with the institute-developed feed confirmed that the quality was similar to that of wild-caught fish.
Kim Seong-gon, director of the Gyeonggi Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute, said, "Wild yellow pufferfish are the only species caught in large quantities in the northern region of Gyeonggi Province and are traded at the highest prices as a freshwater species." He added, "In the future, along with yellow pufferfish aquaculture technology, we plan to research the development of technology to cultivate wild yellow pufferfish for extended periods (keeping them in tanks or cages for a certain period for storage purposes)."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
