Wild or farmed? Which side of the barramundi debate do you fall on?

Zico Ilic, director of the Darwin Fish Market, will not say whether he prefers the taste of wild caught barramundi or the farmed fish, but makes is clear where he thinks consumers sit.

“It’s always the natural products, organic products, wild caught products always are regarded as the best,” Mr Ilic said.

“Because of the growth of the population there is a demand for farmed aquaculture products.

“The market is actually starving for more fish.”

Barramundi are an iconic fish in Australia’s Top End.

The fighting barra are prized because of the difficulty in catching them, their great taste and the incredible size they can grow to, with an individual fish in 2010 reportedly tipping the scales at nearly 45kgs.

Easter is one of the barramundi industry’s busiest times of the year.

Dan Richards, general manager at Humpty Doo Barramundi, shrugged off suggestions that consumers may prefer wild caught fish.

His barramundi farm has done blind testing, he said, which proved consumers were happier with their products over the wild caught fish.

“The farmed barra can provide consistency,” he said.

Some people prefer wild barramundi. Photo: AAP

That is important for restaurants who want to have a consistent product week-in, week-out, Mr Richards said.

And people are ready to splurge on his barramundi this year.

Mr Richards said he was expecting to sell more than 30 tonnes of fish, which equates to about 15,000 individual barramundi.

“Sometimes the farmed product will get a better price … sometimes the wild will. It all depends on the preference of the consumer,” Mr Richards said.

And if you cannot make up your mind on whether you prefer free or farmed barramundi to eat, that is only the tip of the great barra debate.

Barramundi can live in salty or fresh water, and some people prefer barramundi that live in one or the other.

Then there are the imported barramundi versus the local product, with some fish outlets selling barramundi caught overseas.

The fish’s native waters span from Northern Australia all the way to Asia and can even be found in India and Sri Lanka.