Studies on the habitat and food of juvenile milkfish in the wild

Abstract

Juvenile milkfish (Chanos chanos ) were collected from several different wild environments in Panay Island and neighboring islands. The fish were measured and the food ingested examined. Conditions of milkfish habitats were also described. It was found that the fish can live and grow in almost any kind of coastal wetlands of calm and rich sediments, such as coralline lagoon, mangrove lagoon, estuary, and bay. In the waters where plant materials were rich at the bottom, the fish fed on them and their intestines were significantly long, while in other waters where less plant materials were available at the bottom, the fish fed but with considerable amount of animal elements and possessed shorter intestines. These differences are considered as adaptations of the fish to different habitats.