Breeding to make barra fatter, faster

There's good news for lovers of barramundi with Australian researchers aiming to speed up the time it takes for the fish to fatten and end up on your plate.

Researchers from James Cook University can now identify fish with a fast growth gene combination when larvae are just 18 days old.

It's thought breeding fish with fast-growth traits could help reduce the harvesting age by 25 per cent.

And by breeding fish that grow fatter faster, farmers will be able to save on feed, water, electricity and labour.

"That's good for the environment and also cheaper for the farmer and cheaper for the consumer," said JCU's Dr Jose Domingos.

Overfishing has constrained production from wild fisheries to the same level over previous decades and the new technique will help farmers meet consumer demand, he said.

Barramundi were first farmed in Australia in the 1980s.

The industry has since exploded to produce 5000 tonnes each year and makes $45 million at the farm gate, according to the Australian Barramundi Farmers Association.