Investigations on the feeding behavior of juvenile milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskål) in brackishwater lagoons on South Tarawa, Kiribati

Abstract

This study evaluated the feeding behavior of the milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskål) in extensively managed brackishwater lagoons on South Tarawa, Kiribati (Central Pacific) in August 1998. Feed intake, dietary overlap, fish condition and morphometric intestine parameters were determined. The daily ration of fish was estimated using the ”modified Bajkov model”. Fish stomach content did not differ significantly between samples from day and night, but prey preferences showed significant differences (p < 0.05). Results were compared with a data set of juvenile milkfish from the Philippines raised under similar conditions.