Wild Caught Barramundi

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Barramundi is Australia’s most iconic native species, with an important place in our indigenous culture, sports fishing and dining tables.

habitat
Chris Bolton’s wild saltwater barramundi comes from an abundant barramundi habitat, in the remote and pristine waters of Princess Charlotte Bay in the Cape York Peninsula, Far North Queensland.

Barramundi is found in both fresh and saltwater ecosystems. They live in creeks, rivers, and estuaries and can move freely between freshwater and saltwater. Breeding occurs in estuaries and coastal shallows.

sex & babies
In the barra world the females are the larger and more mature of the species.
Most barramundi are born male and change sex to female at 3-5 years of age. The smaller fish are almost all male, and the larger more mature of the barramundi are female.

Barramundi grow fast and live up to 25 years. Common adult size is 60 to120 cm and a weight of 5 to 20 kg. Very large fish are not common, and usually old females that can be as long as 1.8 metres (6 feet) and 55 to 60 kilograms. Females can produce 10 to 40 million eggs annually.

Barramundi are powerful predators and fighters. Paddle-shaped tails can propel them right out of the water with immense speed. Armour-like scales help protect them against the likes of crocodiles and sharks. A fighting nature makes them a popular conquest for sports fisherfolk.

sustainable, wild, hand line caught, brain-spiked & ice slurried
Fisherman Chris Bolton catches every fish one by one; it’s one line, one hook.

“My grandfather caught fish the same way, on the same reefs I fish today. You feel the fish bite and pull it straight in so the fish is in the boat within seconds. When I started concentrating on quality rather than quantity, most people, especially other fishermen, thought I was crazy. I just thought there has to be a more sustainable way.”

environmental impact
“Line catching, one by one, not only achieves quality unseen before in wild barramundi, but also has an extremely low environmental footprint, virtually none” Chris Bolton

Each fish is individually targeted and landed, eliminating bycatch and ensuring minimal environmental impact. Fishing takes place under strict seasonal closures, size limits and permitted catch volumes. Chris describes some details:

The 3 month fishing closure from November January, allows them to spawn, the stress of capture may prevent a barramundi from spawning. There’s a minimum legal size limit of 58cm, and a maximum of 120cm. We only keep them up to 100cm-the big barramundi are females. There is a very strict limit to barramundi caught each year in the Princess Charlotte Bay area. We are the only ones commercially fishing in this vast area.

Chris was the first fisherman to ever supply line-caught wild barramundi. Commercial line caught barramundi has only been legal since January 2024, making this a rare and pioneering product. Prior all Barramundi was either farmed or net-caught. Line fishing requires more manpower, a truckload of skill for this fighting fish and brings in a fraction of the catch to conventionally used nets.

“We’ve spent a lot of time researching, trialling and refining how we find, catch and handle barramundi, and we’re continually learning to improve both quality and sustainability…You cant catch big volumes but the line caught creates a much better quality, better tasting, fresher more valuable fish”

It’s an odyssey
Chris describes the quest for wild saltwater barramundi

Storms, rain and rough weather, particularly during the monsoon season, occur frequently. There are unsealed roads into the area but are often too wet or rough to access by vehicles, meaning a long boat trip back to Cooktown to unload the fish.

overall process
From the moment they are landed, the fish are handled with care and respect. Fish are kept live in tanks on the boat until unload day, Our line-caught reef fish are killed instantly and humanely using the ancient Japanese ike-jime method. Fish are then bled and immediately placed into a salt-ice brine to bring their temperature down to 2°C (freshwater ruins the flavour of fish). Once this is achieved, every fish is gently hand-packed, one by one, into our custom-made biodegradable boxes made from recycled cardboard

In the early hours of the morning we unload the fish, pack into air freight boxes and transport the fish straight to the Cairns airport. It is logistically challenging due to working in such a remote area.

quality & time
The level of meticulous care achieves the freshest barramundi available, about 2 weeks fresher than average. Freshness is enhanced by the fast targeted line-caught process which helps reduce stress and creates produce that lasts better

When held live, they are ike-jimed at the wharf, straight to the packing shed, and arrive in Sydney within hours. This ensures the quality and high fat content for this barramundi.

ike jime
Ike-jime or brain-spiking, is the most humane method to cause immediate brain death of a fish. Upon capture the fish is firmly held still, a thin piece of round stainless steel rod sharpened to a point is quickly inserted just above and behind the eye, directly into the brain of the fish. Because every species has a different shaped head, and different sized brain, it takes some practice to insert the spike in exactly the right spot. Ike-jime | Chris Bolton Fishing

no cuts into the flesh/throat. cleaner, better flavour
In addition to ike-jime, Chris snips the gills of the fish, further reducing the blood content of the flesh. The blood in the fish flesh retracts into the gut cavity, which results in cleaner, better flavoured flesh.

Although the fish is brain dead, the heart continues to beat for several minutes. Snipping the gills instantly after ike-jime allows the heart to pump as much blood as possible out of the flesh. When cuts are made into a fish they create entry points for bacteria, which reduces both eating quality and shelf life. Chris’s fish are all bled by snipping the gills with scissors so there are no cuts into the flesh.

WHY ike-jime & bleeding?

minimising stress
Ike-jime minimised stress to the fish, which reduces the production of adrenaline. Higher levels of adrenaline give a slightly more bitter flavour and shorten the shelf life of all fish, regardless of how well they are handled.

lower lactic acid
Lactic acid levels are much lower in fish that are killed by ike-jime, giving the flesh a slightly less ‘fishy’ taste and softer feel as opposed to letting a fish die slowly.

This is wild line-caught saltwater barramundi from the remote and pristine waters of Princess Charlotte Bay in the Cape York peninsula, far North Queensland, have a taste of their own, and I believe they are far better than from anywhere else… you have to remember it’s a completely different product… you’ll be surprised, you wont believe it’s barramundi” Chris Bolton

Normally a pretty muddy, sloppy & soft fish, this wild line caught saltwater barramundi is unrecognisable at the dinner table. Previously a reasonably inexpensive table fish, the different harvest techniques yields a very different eating experience.

Wild barramundi has a sweet flavour, robust flakes, and an al dente mouthfeel. It is full of heart-healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, with few bones, which can be removed easily. The fat content produces a luscious, succulent result, with only half the calories of wild salmon.

one-of-a-kind
Chris Bolton, the ever-modest pioneering and visionary fisher, is something of a legend in fishing, environmental and gastronomic circles. Together with his partner Kim, they have built their piece of paradise and a fishing business based in the world-heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Queensland.

Chris Bolton Fishing has been celebrated for its uncompromising commitment to the reef, sustainability, quality and constant innovation to minimise environmental impacts and improving efficiency. The Boltons are true custodian fisherfolk and serve as role models of next-level fishing practice and care for Country.

Australia’s top chefs and seafoodies prize Chris Bolton Fishing’s produce for its quality, while his fishing techniques and knowledge attracts interest and research collaboration from the science community, fisheries managers and environmental groups. Chris Bolton Fishing is a multi award winning business most recently winning Producer of the Year in 2024 delicious Harvey Norman Produce Awards

fish fraud!
Believe it or not, more Chris Bolton Coral Trout is sold than is actually caught. Well-intentioned chefs receive what they believe are his fish and wonder why the quality is not up to Chris’s standards. That’s because it’s not always his fish! The Happy Fish process is intrinsic to eliminating Fish Fraud and ensuring verifiable sustainability, provenance and quality.

3 generations of fishing in the blood
“From the age of 5, all I wanted to do was to go fishing. I have spent more days on and in the Great Barrier Reef than I have on dry land! … Both my grandfathers were fishermen, my father and my uncles are fishermen and all catch fish in the same areas of the Great Barrier Reef and catchment that I fish today.”