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gunna
28-02-2008, 11:30 AM
Just saw these lovely big whole Jacks for sale at the local supermarket. Funny thing is the price - $9.90 a kilo. Cheaper than bream or flatties and only marginally dearer than the humble mullet.

I know up north they rate the eating quality pretty high for fresh caught Jacks. Quality must drop off a lot for these whole Jacks to be so cheap ??

kingtin
28-02-2008, 12:59 PM
Makes you wonder doesn't it?

IGA Strathpine were knocking mullet fillets out at 7.99 on Monday, but were sold out today............little wonder considering Coles Bracken Ridge is charging 18.99 a kilo..........where the hell do they fish these prices up from? Local Mullet at twice the price of stuff shipped from NZ or interstate?

kev

Noelm
28-02-2008, 01:08 PM
I think you will find the jacks are Farmed.

Didley
28-02-2008, 01:15 PM
I think you will find the jacks are Farmed.

Really Noel, U know someone is farming Jacks? I thought they still didn't have the breeding worked out!

Didley
28-02-2008, 01:16 PM
Whole M jacks were $18.99/kilo at Sammies last Saturday

loophole
28-02-2008, 01:16 PM
I think you will find the jacks are Farmed.

yeaqh no doubt farmed jacks fedd on pellets.

nowhere near as good as a fresh caught one

Local_Guy
28-02-2008, 01:20 PM
IGA Strathpine was the only supermarket i would ever buy whole fish from. Bought a Jack from there once too, wasn't a bad tasteing fish but i can't compare it to a fresh caught Jack as i've never caught one.

But their fish looks good.

Noelm
28-02-2008, 01:28 PM
I do believe that they are Farmed at several locations, one being the Fisheries research place at Cronulla in NSW.

ozbee
28-02-2008, 02:42 PM
farmed and also released as fingerling's with barra in some fresh impoundments in NQ

Reefmaster
28-02-2008, 03:21 PM
Speaking with a mate a couple of weeks ago who said a friend of his was up in the Gulf and saw very large quantities of Jacks being dropped off by the Trawlers. I honestly couldn't see farmed Jacks being used for commercial purposes. I could be wrong though.

Regards,
Greg

FNQCairns
28-02-2008, 03:35 PM
Often stop at the ice counter at IGA, have seen some Jacks there before, they look wild caught to me due to the size of them, no expert. Have seen some ripper fish at that counter, last one was the biggest Queenfish I have seen in the flesh.

cheers fnq

the gecko
29-02-2008, 11:11 AM
Now we know where you get your jacks Didley!!

Action supermarket at Ashmore City always has big jacks for 11.99 kg. They are 60-70 cm avge and look like reef caught jacks to me. I saw one at 7kg last year.

If they werent scaled and cleaned, Id buy one and put it on my brag mat for a photo ...... lol.

Andrew

Didley
29-02-2008, 11:27 AM
[quote=the gecko;774044]Now we know where you get your jacks Didley!!

Your on to me Andrew, we were just talking about doing that last night, its got to be far cheaper at twice the price.

fivefishes
29-02-2008, 09:55 PM
Hey all,

Jacks aren't being farmed for commercial food purposes yet, are being stocked though in places like Tinaroo and Awonga as someone suggested. Most jacks you see retail are from the fish trawlers working the gulf (not bycatch off prawn trawlers), come in to Karumba or Weipa then to Cairns and on to Brisbane etc, good quality fish to eat and yes to whoever said they look like Reef Jacks cause they are sort of, not the type of reef you'll catch them on out of Cairns or similar, more rocky reef areas in the gulf. Price will vary a little but prob around $9.90/kg to move the product along rather than fillet and freeze, that's about cost after freight out of Gulf etc. I manage a live fish export factory in Cairns and been in Seafood for over 15yrs so above is not pulled out of my ***e. By the way any questions bout that gladly answered you'll prob be surprised, like all wild caught reef fish exported live is handlined, one guy, one hook, one fish. No big foreign trawlers or any of that crap just a guy and a handline.

Matt

the gecko
01-03-2008, 09:22 AM
Thanks 5f, thats good info. a mate of mine used to fish pro off Mackay, he did it all on handline too. Mostly mackeral as target catch.

I reckon youre right, that 95% of market jacks come from NT. The one I saw in a shop at 7kg was caught on 9 mile reef off Tweed tho. It was in a different shop to the one I mentioned. Theres a couple of seafood shops on the goldy dealing with a local pro.

Andrew

fivefishes
01-03-2008, 07:03 PM
Hey Gunna and Kingtin,

Fish prices are often confusing when comparing fillets and whole fish. If you buy the Jacks at $9.90/kg whole and fillet them the fillets would have cost you $24.75/kg providing you achieve a half decent fillet recovery rate at about 40%. Reverse true when looking at fillet prices convert the $7.99/kg Mullet fillets back to whole price assuming about 45% recovery rate and the whole Mullet would have cost you $3.60/kg. Hope that's not too confusing but comparing apples with apples ie. Whole Jacks ($9.90/kg) with Whole Mullet ($3.60/kg) you can see the Jacks are close to 3 times more expensive than the mullet.
Wishing i didn't go through that calculation now sounds too much like work!!
Hope that sheds some light on the, What the hell is going on with fish prices, comment.

Matt

Noelm
03-03-2008, 09:20 AM
some Fish return a very high % but others do not, it depends on the actual species, and indeed it can be a better option to buy either way, depending on your Filleting skills, but sometimes it is just better/easier to just buy exactly the amount of fillets/cutlets you need, take it home and cook it, than to mess about trying to do a shabby job in the sink at home, unless of course you have a good cleaning setup in your backyard or something (like me)

FNQCairns
03-03-2008, 09:52 AM
some Fish return a very high % but others do not, it depends on the actual species, and indeed it can be a better option to buy either way, depending on your Filleting skills, but sometimes it is just better/easier to just buy exactly the amount of fillets/cutlets you need, take it home and cook it, than to mess about trying to do a shabby job in the sink at home, unless of course you have a good cleaning setup in your backyard or something (like me)

yeah or cook him whole, might get 50% then, still not more economical than fillets alot of the time. There is a website here in oz that gives the industry %age return from filleting on a very wide range of species, not sure if I read one over 45% when I last looked was a while ago.

cheers fnq

Noelm
03-03-2008, 10:25 AM
if you buy cleaned Flathead (very common down our way) then the fillet return would be over 50% but if you are to remove ALL bones from a fillet (not done at the Markets) then return will be 30% or less I would be thinking, most think of a fillet as being boneless, but it is NOT, they remove the backbone (of course) then the belly/rib bones, but the centre bones are left in and need to be removed at home.

fivefishes
03-03-2008, 08:27 PM
FNQCairns,

Not surprised none over 45% that's cause they cut them with a SPOON.
I return 50% on C/Trout all day long, from whole. Barra same 50% from whole or 55% from g+g. Even fisheries have their fillet recoveries up to s*** on Coral Reef Fin Fish, not even close on many species.
When i cut stripeys and Moses Perch for dinner, regular occurance, i cut over 40% skinless on them, and they are generally considered poor returning fish.
Work on 40-45 % for most fish skinless, less if you pinbone and trim the belly flap. Look none of above matters that much, i raised the subject earlier so as to compare apples with apples in the shop, can't compare price of Whole Jacks and Mullet Fillets, that's like comparing a whole car with a pile of parts!!

Matt

Luke mcleod
03-03-2008, 08:39 PM
Jacks are in my oppinion the best eating fish in the rivers up this way and i preffer them to any other fish i have ever tasted so far. It seems wierd as hell to me that they would price them cheaper than fish that taste like turd compared to them

fivefishes
03-03-2008, 08:48 PM
Luke,

Check out my earlier reply about fillet costs, Jacks $24.75/kg for Fillets, Mullet $7.99/kg fillets sounds right to me, and you're right Jacks are superb to eat, better than any old mud guts from down south, my opinion the further south you go the worse the fish tastes, check out some of the deepwater species out of South OZ or Tassie, plain as day no flavour. Nothing on a big Jack or Barra!!

Matt

disorderly
03-03-2008, 09:00 PM
I've seen jack fillets at the local IGA a bit lately for between $25 and $30.
I'll just have to stick with the basa at $10 or less...yummm.

fivefishes
03-03-2008, 09:09 PM
Disorderly,

What the?? Basa, farmed Catfish from Vietnam, yeah yum. Way better than local Jack fillets, What!!

Matt

disorderly
03-03-2008, 09:29 PM
Disorderly,

What the?? Basa, farmed Catfish from Vietnam, yeah yum. Way better than local Jack fillets, What!!

Matt

gotchahttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/wink.gifhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/grin.gifhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/grin.gifhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/grin.gif

fivefishes
03-03-2008, 09:46 PM
Disorderly,
Well done!! Most clowns have no idea what Basa is so pardon my comment. Too much of my wifes Vodka and too much of my kids orange juice, oh they go so well together, YUM, Better than Basa fillets.

Matt

disorderly
03-03-2008, 09:54 PM
Matt we are so lucky up here.
I havent bought fish for many years.
Even the bycatch I get at the reef(stripeys,moses,sea bream,sweeties,hussar etc)are all top eating as well.
I only bother keeping the trout,nannies and spanish though.Also sometimes redthroat if they are a good size.
My neighbours get to eat my bycatch.
Enjoy your vodkahttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/wink.gifhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/smiley.gif.

Scott

fivefishes
03-03-2008, 10:09 PM
Disorderly,

Trout, Nannies and Spanish yum, beats Bream Flatties and Mullet. You're right we are spoiled, i'm in seafood industry so get from work whatever i can't catch so i can't lose.

Enjoy the rain,

Matt

disorderly
03-03-2008, 10:20 PM
I manage a live fish export factory in Cairns

Matt

Just reading this in an earlier post of your's..
I'm assuming that Trout are your main game...what else is exported live?
and what kind of dollars do the fisho's get for live vs dead?
and is there a max size?

Rain ..what rainhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/rolleyes.gifhttp://www.ausfish.com.au/vforum/../yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/grin.gif ...oh you mean the stuff that has been blowing in the window and wet my bed forcing me to sleep on the couch tonite.bugger.:(

scott

fivefishes
03-03-2008, 10:41 PM
Scott,

Complex question. Mostly Trout, we export some Cod species too but not a lot, mostly Cattledogs (Blue Maori Cod).
Live price to the boat averages about $40/kg as low as $28 and up to $50-60/kg, but only up to 1.5kg. Then the fish are bought by the piece, by the fish, not by the kg, so a 1kg fish might be worth $45/kg and a 2kg fish will be worth $45/pc, as i said complex. Because of this we rarely see a live Trout over 3kg otherwise they are worth about the same price dead, dead price to fishermen is about $14-15/kg. AQIS have a 6kg limit, we can't export anything over 6kg which is fine cause they are worth more dead anyway. Wow hope that confuses you, i do like to let people know these fish are all line caught, one guy, one hook same way you or i handline a Trout, hope that's interesting if you're ever in Cairns let me know you can have look at our tanks, it'll blow your mind, having said that we buy fish from Gladstone to Cooktown so our tanks full of fish didn't all come from your reef!!

Matt

gunna
06-03-2008, 01:11 PM
Luke,

Check out my earlier reply about fillet costs, Jacks $24.75/kg for Fillets, Mullet $7.99/kg fillets sounds right to me, and you're right Jacks are superb to eat, better than any old mud guts from down south, my opinion the further south you go the worse the fish tastes, check out some of the deepwater species out of South OZ or Tassie, plain as day no flavour. Nothing on a big Jack or Barra!!

Matt

Matt - I should have been more specific in my first post. Kingtin started talking mullet fillets in the next post. My first post should have said - marginally dearer than WHOLE mullet - which was what was there. Whole mullet at $7.99 per kilo.