Is yellow croaker a marine fish? A full breakdown of market prices, artificial breeding methods and ways to eat it

Yellow croaker, also known as yellow fish or flower yellow fish, is a common commercial fish in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow River and other areas. Because of its high dietary therapy value, it is deeply loved by people; regular consumption can aid digestion, prevent cancer and resist aging. So is yellow croaker a marine fish? What is the market price per jin? Can it be artificially bred? How is it bred? How is it eaten?

Is it a marine fish?

The yellow croaker is a marine fish. Yellow croaker is divided into large yellow croaker and small yellow croaker. The large yellow croaker is distributed in the southern Yellow Sea, the East China Sea and the South China Sea, usually inhabiting deeper sea areas, migrating to offshore waters to spawn from April to June, dispersing along the coast to feed after spawning, and migrating back to deep sea areas in autumn and winter. The small yellow croaker is distributed in China's Yellow Sea, Bohai Sea, East China Sea and the west coast of Korea; the fish migrates to the coast in spring, and after spawning from March to June, disperses in offshore waters to feed, returning to the deep sea in late autumn and overwintering in the deep sea in winter. Yellow croaker generally has an omnivorous diet, mainly feeding on fish and shrimp.

Latest market price:

Yellow croaker is divided into two types, large yellow croaker and small yellow croaker. Large yellow croaker has thick flesh but is slightly coarse and tough; small yellow croaker has tender flesh and a fresh taste but slightly more bones. The flesh is like garlic cloves, crisper and more tender than freshwater fish, and the flesh is rich in protein with high nutritional value. Small yellow croaker costs 7 to 10 yuan depending on size, wild large yellow croaker costs 26 to 30 yuan per jin, and farmed ones cost around 15 to 20 yuan.

Can it be artificially bred?

Yes. After years of research on yellow croaker, large-scale fry rearing began in 1990, and commercial fish farming began in 1992 and has continued to expand in scale, with output increasing year by year. The farming provinces started from Fujian and spread to Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hainan and other provinces, and farming methods expanded from cage farming to pond farming.

Artificial breeding techniques:

1. Selection of the pond

Ponds for large yellow croaker farming require a water depth of more than 2 m, convenient water intake and drainage, and good water exchange conditions. The area is generally 10 to 20 mu, preferably with a freshwater source, and equipped with powered water-lifting equipment to facilitate water quality regulation.

Before stocking, strictly clean the pond, disinfect and remove pests as usual, and use 100 kg/mu of quicklime to improve the substrate.

2. Stocking of fingerlings

In large yellow croaker farming, choose fingerlings with a strong physique and uniform size for stocking. Because it is earthen-pond farming, applying medication for treatment when disease occurs is relatively difficult, so it is very necessary to disinfect the fingerlings well before they enter the pond. Stocking density is related to fingerling size and pond conditions, generally 600 to 1000 fish per mu, and a small number of bottom-dwelling fish such as black sea bream may be mixed in as appropriate to drive the large yellow croaker to feed and clean up residual bait at the bottom of the pond. Other shrimp, crabs, shellfish, etc. can also be mixed in for three-dimensional ecological farming.

3. Feed and feeding

In large yellow croaker farming, the feed and feeding for pond culture are basically similar to cage culture, with the differences emphasized as follows:

(1) Feed types and processing

To prevent the feed from disintegrating and affecting water quality and the substrate, frozen fish feed should be thawed, washed, drained and then cut into meat pieces for feeding. If it is minced into meat paste, it must be mixed with powdered compound feed into a dough-like feed with strong viscosity and relatively low water content before feeding. It is strictly forbidden to feed spoiled small miscellaneous fish and shrimp.

(2) Feeding

During pond culture of large yellow croaker, generally feed once each in the morning and evening every day; when water exchange is difficult during small tides, feed only once. If water quality is poor and water cannot be added, feeding can also be paused for 1 to 2 days. The feeding amount is correspondingly slightly less than in cage culture, so the feed coefficient for farming is slightly lower. When feeding large yellow croaker in ponds, adhere to the principles of fixed location and fixed time. The location is best fixed near the drainage outlet with a dedicated feeding platform, so that residual bait can be discharged out of the pond. The feeding speed should be slow and the time relatively long. If no fish school is seen floating up to compete for food, or the “gu, gu” sound made by fish feeding in the water cannot be heard, feeding can be stopped.

4. Daily management

(1) Water exchange

In large yellow croaker farming, water must be exchanged every day; when water quality is good, once a day, otherwise twice. At noon in high-temperature seasons, water exchange is not suitable; it is better to exchange water at night, and the amount of water exchanged depends on water quality. After heavy rainstorms, the specific gravity of the surface water of the pond drops significantly; when exchanging water, the surface fresh water should be discharged first, and water should be added when the tide level in the sea area is relatively high. During long periods of high temperature and clear weather, an appropriate amount of fresh water can be added to reduce salinity. Regularly (every 10 to 15 days) splash quicklime water to improve water quality and the substrate; and do a good job in disease prevention and control.

(2) Pond patrol

In large yellow croaker farming, persist in patrolling the pond every morning, noon and evening, especially in high-temperature seasons when small tides make water exchange difficult; pay special attention to patrolling at night and in the early morning. Carefully observe the fish's activity; if any float at the surface without sinking, promptly take emergency oxygenation measures such as pumping water. If diseased or dead fish are found, or if food intake decreases markedly without special reason, promptly identify the cause and take corresponding measures.

(3) Routine monitoring

In large yellow croaker farming, regularly observe water temperature, specific gravity, dissolved oxygen, transparency, water level changes, and the fish's feeding, activity and disease conditions every day, and record them in detail. When water quality is poor or abnormal fish conditions are found, additional water quality monitoring items such as ammonia nitrogen, pH value and sulfide in the pond water should be added to provide a basis for identifying the cause and making a correct judgment.

Introduction to ways to eat it:

Home-style stewed yellow croaker

Ingredients: 1 yellow croaker, 100 g fatty pork, 30 g carrot

Seasonings: 50 g oil, 10 g salt, 50 g soy sauce, 10 g vinegar, 10 g cooking wine, 2 g monosodium glutamate, 20 g white sugar, an appropriate amount of Sichuan pepper, star anise and clear broth, a little scallion and ginger chunks

Flavor type: fresh, fragrant and delicious, tender and soft in texture, rich when eaten

Steps: 1. Scale the fresh yellow croaker, remove the gills, remove the internal organs, score with decorative cuts, and dice the fatty pork and carrot.

2. Heat an appropriate amount of oil in a wok, add scallion and ginger chunks, Sichuan pepper and star anise and fry briefly; when the fragrance comes out, remove and discard them, add the diced fatty pork, diced carrot, salt, vinegar, cooking wine, soy sauce, white sugar and clear broth to season, bring to a boil, and skim off the foam. Add the yellow croaker, bring to a boil, move to low heat and stew for about 10 minutes, add monosodium glutamate, remove from the wok and plate.

Key points: Score both sides of the cleaned fresh yellow croaker with willow-leaf cuts deep to the large bones; the stewing liquid for the yellow croaker should be level with the surface of the fish, and plate when the liquid is thick.

Pan-fried and steamed yellow croaker

Ingredients: 1 yellow croaker, 10 g flour, 1 egg, 15 g cilantro, 500 g peanut oil

Seasonings: 10 g salt, 5 g sesame oil, 10 g vinegar, 10 g cooking wine, 5 g monosodium glutamate, 5 g starch, an appropriate amount each of shredded scallion and ginger

Flavor type: golden in color, fresh and fragrant, tender in texture, delicious and palatable.

Steps: 1. Scale the yellow croaker, remove the gills, remove the internal organs, wash clean, score both sides with decorative cuts deep to the backbone, place in a basin, add a little salt and monosodium glutamate and marinate; select and wash the cilantro, cut into one-inch sections; crack the egg into a bowl, add starch and stir into a batter.

2. Heat oil in a wok; when it is 50 percent hot, coat the fish evenly with the starch batter and put it in the wok to fry; when both sides are fried golden, take it out and put it on a plate.

3. Add salt, vinegar, cooking wine, scallion, ginger, monosodium glutamate and an appropriate amount of broth to the fish plate, steam thoroughly (about 15 minutes) and take out. Pour the liquid into the wok, season, drizzle with sesame oil, sprinkle with cilantro sections, and pour over the fish.

Key points: Score both sides of the yellow croaker with willow-leaf cuts deep to the backbone; the amount of oil in the wok should be about 1/3 of the thickness of the fish, and fry over medium heat until both sides are golden.