Milkfish, one of the treasures of my homeland

Milkfish, Chanos chanos (Forsskal), locally known as "bangus" or "bangos", is the predominant species being cultured in the Philippines . Hundreds of years ago bangus was grown in ponds along coastal areas. That was the beginning of fish fanning. Bangus is a popular table fare among Filipinos. To the biologist, it is an innately sturdy fish, being able to adapt and thrive even in the confined, unnatural environment of the fishpond. This characteristic is not often found in most other fish species.

Milkfish production represents one of the main sectors of the nation's fishery industry .Fish culture is distinct from the marine and inland capture fisheries in that its research and development is like that of animal husbandry which requires a different approach. Aquaculture is concerned with such inputs as seeds, land, water, fertilizers, chemicals and feeds. Its research involves the determination of the physiological requirements of the culture species and the development of culture methods from laboratory to commercial scale. Aquaculture development requires government assistance in providing credit, extension and training and other incentives.

Milkfish is a traditional culture species, and has been studied for along "' time. But there is still much to be studied about this fish and its culture to understand and gain greater control of factors that favor its growth and production.

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Milkfish is the only species in the Family Chanidae and is most closely related to carps and catfishes. Milkfish lives in the warm waters along the continental shelves and around islands in the Indo-Pacific.

The adults are pelagic, schooling, migratory, large (to 1.5 m, 20 kg), and mature sexually in 5 years. Spawning takes place near coral reefs during the warms months of the year, and populations near the equator spawn year-round. The pelagic eggs (1.1-1.2 mm in diameter) and larvae (3.5 mm at hatching) stay in the plankton for two weeks. The larvae then migrate onshore and are caught by fine-mesh nets operated along sandy beaches and mangrove areas; these "fry" are 10-17 mm long and used as seedstock in grow-out ponds, pens and cages. Juveniles in the wild live in mangrove areas, coastal lagoons, and even go upriver into lakes; they go back to sea when they get too big for the nursery habitat, or when they are about to mature sexually. Juveniles and adults eat a wide variety of relatively soft and small food items, from microbial mats to detritus, epiphytes, zooplankton, and feeds.

Milkfish farming is a centuries-old industry in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It has been slow to modernize and now faces challenges from competing aquaculture species and the present economic realities. The domestic market is large and the export market may soon expand.

Source: Teodora Bagarinao, SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department