
Also known as:
Bandang
Bangos
Bukkariba
Buruna
Moreton Bay salmon
Salmon herring
Common Group Name:
Milkfishes
Family Name:
Chanidae
Genus Name:
Chanos
Species Name:
Chanos chanos
Dispatch Method:
The eating qualities of these fish can be greatly improved if they are killed immediately by iki jime, or a firm knock to the head before placing them in an ice slurry after bleeding.
Fish Description:
- Milkfish are blue-green dorsally with silver flanks, a white belly,a small toothless mouth and a large, deeply-forked tail fin. The eyes are covered with thick, gelatinous adipose eyelids.
- This species matures at around 65-80 cm long (5-8 years old) and feeds almost exclusively on plankton.
Fish Distribution:
- Milkfish occurs throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region wherever water temperatures are greater than 20°C.
- Adults are found in marine waters (including coral reefs), but also shallow coastal embayments. Juveniles frequently enter mangrove estuaries and occasionally penetrate into freshwater streams.
- On the Great Barrier Reef, adult milkfish live inshore, but in summer they migrate offshore to spawn just outside the ribbon reefs in the Coral Sea.
Fish Size Common Length:
50-100 cm, maximum size around 180 cm and 15 kg.