Milkfish (Chanos chanos)

Milkfish (Chanos chanos)

A school of Milkfish at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve's main bridge.

Family: Chanidae
Species Name: Chanos chanos
Common Name(s): Milkfish

Presence in Singapore: Native
Habitat: Coastal and offshore waters, often enters esutaries.
Conservation status: Least Concern (Red Data Book 3)

Although adults live offshore, Milkfish are known to frequently enter shallow coastal waters and estuaries, sometimes touching freshwater. They can be commonly seen in schools during the rising and high tide in habitats such as tidal rivers, where they sometimes mix with mullets. These are sizable fishes, growing to a maximum length of 1.8 meters but usually average out at a meter and are recognizable by their deeply forked tail.

Having a small mouth, Milkfish are omnivorous and feed on a variety of pelagic organisms such as zooplankton and fish larvae. They also feed near the bottom on benthic invertebrates, algae and even detritus. Milkfish themselves are important food fish for humans and are farmed as well. 

The Milkfish is the sole-living representative of the family Chanidae, which includes several extinct genera that existed during the Cretaceous. 

Adult Milkfish spawn in the sea, where the maturing juveniles swim back to coastal waters or even further upstream to grow. 

A small Milkfish following a school of mullets.

References

• FishBase. Chanos chanos (Fabricius, 1775) – Milkfish. Retrieved from https://www.fishbase.se/summary/chanos-chanos.
• Lim, K.K.P. & Low, J.K.Y. 1998. A Guide to Common Marine Fishes of Singapore. Singapore Science Centre, 163 pp. ISBN 981-00-9904-5.
• National Parks Board (NParks). Marine Fishes. Retrieved from https://www.nparks.gov.sg/nature/species-list/marine-fishes.