Milk Fish

Milkfish (Chanos chanos) is a popular food fish in Southeast Asia. This fish is the only extant species in the Chanidae family (along with six additional genera that have been reported to have existed but are extinct). In the Bugis and Makassar languages it is known as sponge fish, and in English milkfish)

They live in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Ocean and tend to cluster around coasts and islands with coral reefs. The young, newly hatched fish live in the sea for 2-3 weeks, then move to brackish-water mangrove swamps, and occasionally salt-water lakes. Milkfish only return to the sea when they are adults and can breed.

Young fish, called nener (IPA: nr), are collected by people from rivers and raised in ponds. There they can be fed any kind of food and grow rapidly. Once big enough (usually about 25-30 cm) the milkfish are sold fresh or frozen. Milkfish is processed by frying, grilling, steaming, or smoking.