Ultimately, the need is to improve the quality of the product at this time of year when mature males occur and when sea temperatures reach their peak. If mature males are shown to contribute significantly to product quality issues at this time, then remedial measures can be investigated which are proportional to the scale of the problem.
Information on the extent of the impacts of maturation and/or harvest stress on product quality of YTK will help all involved in growing, buying and selling YTK in domestic and overseas markets.
Final report
Harvest stress and sexual maturation are known to affect the flesh quality and product shelf life in several species of fish. This preliminary study was undertaken to determine the extent of any impact of harvest stress and/or sexual maturation of males on product quality and shelf life attributes of farmed Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) at the Clean Seas Tuna Whyalla farm site.