Description

The Milkfish is a silvery marine food fish which is the only living member of the family Chanidae. It is also called by many other different names such as Bandeng, Bangos, Awa, Ibiya and Bolu. It is the national fish in the Philippines. It is a very old fish species, and fossils of this family date from as far back as the Cretaceous Period (145.5 to 65.5 million years ago).

Characteristics:

The Milkfish has an elongate and almost compressed body, with a generally symmetrical and streamlined appearance. It’s body color is olive green, with silvery flanks and dark bordered fins. It has one dorsal fin, falcate pectoral fins and a sizable forked caudal fin. Mouth of this fish is small and toothless. Lower jaw with small tubercle at tip, fitting into notch in upper jaw. There are no bony gular plate between arms of lower jaw. These fish generally have 13-17 dorsal soft rays, 8-10 anal soft rays and 31 caudal fin rays. Caudal fin is large and deeply forked with large scale flaps at base in the mature fish. The Milkfish can reach around 1.8 meter body length, but are most often no more than 1 meter in length.

Consumption:

The milkfish is an important seafood in Southeast Asia and some Pacific Islands. Because it is notorious for being much thornier than other food fish, milkfish with thorns removed, called "boneless bangús" in the Philippines, has become popular in stores and markets. Despite the notoriety however, many people in the Philippines continue to enjoy the fish cooked regularly or even raw using kalamansi juice or vinegar to make kinilaw na bangus. Milkfish is the most popular fish in Taiwanese cuisine, it is valued for its versatility as well as its tender meat and economical price. Popular presentations include as a topping for congee, pan fried, braised, and as fish balls. There is a milkfish museum in Anping District and city of Kaohsiung holds an annual milkfish festival