Barramundi breeders in north Queensland are hopeful a new test to determine which fish produce the strongest offspring will help double Australian production.

Researchers from James Cook University in Townsville have developed a way to find out which parents produce the fastest growing fish.

Dr Jose Domingos said the test involved looking at the cellular growth of young fingerlings.

"One of the key issues that we find about the differences in growth rate is to do with the parents of origin or the genetics of this fish," Dr Domigos said.

Researchers have been able to trace the genes of quicker-growing fish back to their parents, just weeks after the fingerlings were born.

Dr Domingos said the same tests have previously taken years to complete.

"It has been the first time that we could identify the best genetics for growth at such early stage," he said.

Dr Domingos said barramundi breeding was one of the fastest growing aquaculture industries in Australia.

He believed the benefits of the research would be felt by fish lovers across the country.

Sorry, this video has expired North Qld barramundi breeders hope to double production ( Allyson Horn )

"Improvement of growth is not only important for the farmers because they harvest it quickly, but is also good for the environment because fish that grow faster use less water," he said.

"Overall it's also good for the consumers because it can mean it's cheaper."

Barramundi breeder Rocky Denys said it was a breakthrough for commercial operators.

"The demand for white flesh fish, of which barramundi is the premium white flesh fish in Australia, is substantial," he said.

"And we import two-thirds of the barramundi in Australia."

Mr Denys said the research would help in selective-breeding, ultimately leading to faster and more fish production.

"What we can do now is breed a fish that grows faster, has more disease resistance and has a higher fillet yield," he said.

"By producing a fish more efficiently, faster at a lower cost we're able to meet that demand and stimulate industry growth in Australia and internationally."