A group of sushi lovers gathered at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography on September 6 for a special taste-test. Professor Dick Lee has been developing an aquaculture system to raise black sea bass for the sushi market.

Two key elements to the system is that it is a closed-cycle (non-polluting), and the black sea bass are fed juvenile tilapia rather than food pellets. The ultimate question with the sushi is “Does it taste good?” Lee worked with local chef A. K. Tran of the Sushi Time Towa Japanese restaurant to prepare delicacies from black sea bass raised on tilapia and food pellets, and in the wild.

The panel of sushi tasters in the blind taste test were unanimous in their opinion that the black sea bass made for good sushi. Of the three categories, the wild black sea bass and those raised on tilapia were tied as the favorite, with the food-pellet fed sea bass coming in third.

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