Chanos chanos

The milkfish, the only representative of its family, is a very old herbivore species, whose ancestors date from the Cretaceous. Morphologically, it looks like a mix between a giant roach and a tarpon. It is found in lagoons but also in open water upstream of the reefs. It is easily recognized by its round body, its silver color and its large forked tail. Its eye is overed by a transparent dome. It eats mainly planction and jellyfish.

It can be found all year round, usually in schools.

In Indonesia, its encounter is frequent.

As with the rainbows runner, the school can be spotted during mackerel drifts, or when surfacing at the end of the drift – often the best opportunity to shoot. When the schools explodes, the noise is impressive. The milkfish is a wary fish that can be approached rarely. Even in this case, it usually has to be shot from high distance which requires a long-range and accurate speargun. The milkfish is an exceptional fighter. A 10 kg milkfih can drag you an a long distance.

In spite of an acceptable flesh and a respectable size, the milkfish has many bones which makes its consumption little appreciated. This is not a catch to recommend.