Ecology on the feeding of milkfish fry and juveniles, Chanos chanos (Forsskal) in the Philippines

Abstract

An extensive ecological survey was conducted in the Philippines to study the feeding of milkfish, Chanos chanos Forsskal. Types of environments examined included coral reefs, lagoons, mangrove and nipa swamps as well as estuarine systems. It was concluded that organic detritus was the basic nutrient for juvenile milkfish and that depositional environments constitute important nursery and feeding grounds for this spcies. The main pathway of energy flow in these coastal ecosystems through the detritus rather than the grazing pathway. The feeding of milkfish was described in terms of habitat structures, stomach content, feeding chronology and feeding behaviour. The result suggests that a better understanding of the function of the ecosystem will help to improve present aquaculture practices as well as guidelines for resource management.