Finfish Breeding and Hatchery Management (2+1)

Unit 12 - Breeding of milkfish

12.1. Distribution and importance

• Milk fish belongs to the Family Chanidae and Order Clupeiformes
• It is distributed in the Indo-Pacific region; commonly cultured in Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, etc.
• Found in both the coasts of India, but is more abundant on the east coast.
• Milk fish is hardy, highly resistant to diseases, euryhaline, herbivorous and easy to culture.
• Can be cultured in freshwater, brackishwater and marine waters.
• It is not only an excellent food fish, but also an ideal bait fish for tuna.
• Grows to 400-500g in 5-6 months.
• Improved culture methods have led to higher demand for fingerlings, the main source being the natural waters.

Identifying characters

• Mouth small and inferior.
• Dorsal origin midway between front border of eye and caudal base.
• Anal small; Caudal deeply forked.
• Body bluish-grey above, sides and abdomen silvery.
• Dorsal and caudal dusky.
• Pectoral, pelvic and anal dotted with black along their margins.