It’s easy to grow, delicious and has a growing demand in restaurants.
There are several fish species named seabass, including the Black sea bass and White sea bass (which are found along the coast of the United States). Giant sea bass is a native to the northern Pacific Ocean. Chilean sea bass is the marketing term for the Patagonian toothfish.
In the Philippines, when people talk of sea bass, they are referring to barramundi. A freshwater fish species, it is found in tropical and semitropical regions ranging from the Persian Gulf to China, and found as far south as Australia, as well as north to India. In Australia, barramundi is both wild-caught and farmed for export to the global market as a table fish, and some recreational fishermen enjoy the pursuit of barramundi as well.
Barramundi (scientific name: Lates calcarifer) is broadly referred to as Asian seabass by the international scientific community, although it is also known as giant perch, giant seaperch, Australian seabass, and by a variety of names in other local languages, such as ikan siakap in Malay and pla krapong in Thai. Among Filipinos, it is called by several names: apahap, bulgan, kakap, salongsong, katuyot, and matang pusa.