Chanos chanos
Milkfish
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GNR
Collection Details
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Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Gonorynchiformes (Milkfish)
Chanidae (Milkfishes)
Chanos
Chanos chanos (Milkfish)
Description
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Characters
Body shape: elongated. This species is characterized by the following: body elongate and somewhat compressed; mouth small and toothless; single dorsal about mid-level of the body; pectoral fins falcate; caudal fin large and deeply forked; no scutes on belly; branchiostegal rays 4. Colour of the body olive green dorsally; flanks silvery; unpaired fins with dark margins (Ref. 49, 117228). Striking features: none.
Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: South Africa to Red Sea, to Hawaii and the Marquesas, north to Japan, south to Victoria, Australia. Eastern Pacific: San Pedro, California to the Galapagos.
Habitat Associations
Freshwater, brackish, marine. benthopelagic. depth range 1-30 m. Found in: streams, lakes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs.
Biology
Adults are found in offshore marine waters and shallow coastal embayments, but also frequently enter estuaries and occasionally penetrate freshwater streams, along continental shelves and around islands, where temperatures are greater than 20°C. (Ref. 44894, 52331). They occur in small to large schools near the coasts or around islands where reefs are well developed. Eggs and larvae are pelagic up to 2-3 weeks. Older larvae migrate onshore and settle in coastal wetlands (mangroves, estuaries) during the juvenile stage, or occasionally enter freshwater lakes. Juveniles and sub-adults return to sea where they mature sexually. Mature adults spawn only in fully saline water. Larvae eat zooplankton; juveniles and adults eat cyanobacteria, soft algae, small benthic invertebrates, and even pelagic fish eggs and larvae. Larvae are collected from rivers and are grown in culture ponds into juveniles which are marketed fresh, smoked, canned or frozen. Brood stocks can be raised and spawned in captivity to produce larvae in the hatchery (Ref. 12868). This species can thrive and grow in water as hot as 32° C (Ref. 9987).
Max length: 180.0 cm SL; common length: 100.0 cm SL; max weight: 14000 g; max age: 15 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: external; mating system: polyandry; nonguarders (open water/substratum egg scatterers); parental care: none. Spawns in clear shallow waters above a bottom of sand or coral and at a distance of not more than 30 km from the shore. Females spawn up to 5 million eggs which hatch in about 24 hr. The larvae seek out clear coastal and estuarine waters warmer than 23°C with 10-32 salinity and abundant phytoplankton. Spawning and fertilization take place at night.
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2016-06-23. Resilience: Low (tm=4-8; tmax=15; Fec=200,000).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: highly commercial; gamefish; aquaculture: commercial.
References
Schuster, W.H. (1960) Synopsis of biological data on milkfish Chanos chanos (Forsskål), 1775. FAO Fish. Biol. Synop. (4):pag. var.
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Shao, K.-T. and P.L. Lim (1991) Fishes of freshwater and estuary. Encyclopedia of field guide in Taiwan. Recreation Press, Co., Ltd., Taipei. vol. 31. 240 p. (in Chinese).
Lieske, E. and R. Myers (1994) Collins Pocket Guide. Coral reef fishes. Indo-Pacific & Caribbean including the Red Sea. Haper Collins Publishers, 400 p.
Bagarinao, T. (1994) Systematics, distribution, genetics and life history of milkfish, Chanos chanos. Environ. Biol. Fishes 39(1):23-41.
Hiatt, R.W. (1944) Food chains and the food cycle in Hawaiian fish ponds. Pt.1 The food and feeding habits of mullet (Mugil cephalus), milkfish (Chanos chanos) and the tenpounder (Elops machnata). Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 74:250-261.
White, W.T., P.R. Last, Dharmadi, R. Faizah, U. Chodrijah, B.I. Prisantoso, J.J. Pogonoski, M. Puckridge and S.J.M. Blaber (2013) Market fishes of Indonesia (= Jenis-jenis ikan di Indonesia). ACIAR Monograph No. 155. Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research: Canberra, 438 p.
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