SLEEK and silvery, beloved because of its mild, sweet flesh, and its melt-in the-mouth belly fat, bangus or milk fish is a favorite Filipino fish. Not only that, it is considered a national icon as it is part of the country's national heritage.

Today, bangus is making waves in other countries as well.

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"We export bangus to countries where there are a lot of Filipinos and overseas foreign workers like the Middle East and the United States," reported Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, the executive director of the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD).

The Philippines is one of the top bangus producers in the world, along with Indonesia and Taiwan.

"Until recently, the country has contributed around 55 percent share of the world bangus production," the PCAMRD said.

"Bangus has always been the most important species cultured in the Philippines in terms of area and production," admitted Dr. Guerrero, who also popularized tilapia production and consumption in the country.

Bangus (scientific name: Chanos chanos) is most closely related to carps and catfishes. It occurs in the Indian Ocean and across the Pacific Ocean, tending to school around coasts and islands with reefs.

A warm water species, it prefers water temperatures between 20-33 degrees Centigrade.

Bangus is one of the most studied fish in the world. Scientists have found that they spawn only in fully saline water. Females spawn up to seven million eggs, which hatch in about 24 hours. Spawning and fertilization take place at night. The frequency of spawning per year is still unknown.

Eggs and larvae are pelagic up to two to three weeks. In nature, the larvae seek out clear coastal and estuarine waters warmer than 23øC with 10-32 parts per thousand salinity and abundant phytoplankton.

Incubating eggs and newly hatched larvae are transported to the shore by currents where they are gathered by people in brackish waters such as shallow sandy areas, mouths of rivers, and lagoons.

Older larvae migrate onshore and settle in coastal wetlands (mangroves, estuaries) during the juvenile stage, or occasionally enter freshwater lakes. Under natural conditions, larvae and fry migrate to tidal pools and settle in them for one month until they become juveniles, then migrate into lagoons, lakes and shallow waters until they reach adolescence before returning to the sea for further grown and sexual maturation.

In the Philippines, bangus is one of the most-often cultured fish. The top bangus producing provinces are Bulacan, Pangasinan, Capiz, Iloilo, and Negros Occidental. The most recent report released by the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics (BAS) show that the combined production of these five provinces alone accounts for more than 50 percent of the country’s total production.

Mindanao still has a long way to go in terms of bangus production. In 2005, for instance, while Iloilo produced 67,700 metric tons, the whole of Mindanao managed to come up with measly 46,200 metric tons with Cotabato topping the list at 13,200 metric tons.

For a very long time, the Philippine aquaculture industry was virtually synonymous with bangus culture. The introduction of marine cages has greatly expanded the range of culture systems under which bangus is now being produced: brackishwater ponds, fishpens in freshwater lakes, fishpens in shallow bays, lake-based cages whether fixed or floating, and sea-based cages. Perhaps no other aquaculture species has wider range of environment and culture systems under which it is being produced.

"The Philippines is still the biggest producer of bangus in the world from brackishwater fishponds and in sea cages," said Dr. Guerrero. The BAS report showed that bangus production from brackishwater fishponds contributed 76.05 percent of the total output in 2005.

The total bangus supply in the Philippines has steadily been increasing. From 210,882 metric tons in 1990, bangus production went up to 360,018 metric tons in 2004.ÿ Based on current trends (at 11 percent annual growth), the PCAMRD is expecting bangus production to ascend to 451,000 metric tons in 2010.

As it is one of the most-sought after fish in the country, bangus commands a high price in the domestic market. The latest BAS report showed that from P75 per kilogram (retail price) in 2003, the price went up to almost P90 per kilogram in 2005. The price today may have gone up to P100 per kilogram.

There is also a market for bangus outside the country. The Philippines exports bangus in different forms as smoked, dried, marinated, frozen and canned products.

In 2005, the United States was the biggest market for Philippine bangus as it bought more than 43 percent of the total volume of bangus exports. The other destinations of bangus exports were United Kingdom, Guam, Australia, Canada, Korea, and Japan.

Historically, bangus fry abound in the country. In recent years, however, the number collected has been dwindling due to the destruction of natural habitats brought about by the extensive conversion of mangrove areas to fishponds, destructive fishing methods (like dynamite fishing) and environmental degradation (deforestation and siltation), among others.

Consequently, with the decrease in seed supply, the cost of fry and fingerlings has increased significantly over the years. As a result, the Philippines has to import fry from Indonesia and Taiwan since both have lower prices compared to those sold in the country, according to Dr. Guerrero.

Normally, bangus fry appears in different places and various seasonal peaks. Areas like Southern Leyte, Western Samar, Bohol, Negros Oriental and Occidental, Antique, and Iloilo have two peak seasons: March to July and October to November. Provinces like Cotabato and Zamboanga del Sur have fry available year-round.

Livelihood Options for Coastal Communities, published by the Silang based International Institute of Rural Reconstruction, says peak gathering days occur during high tides after two or three days following a new moon or a full moon. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) or peak-spawning season of bangus starts in March to June and drops in August to September.

During the breeding season, the rising GSI value coincides with rising seawater temperature. Spawning regularly occurs among five- to seven year-old sabalo in the wild. Fertility is about 300,000 to one million eggs per kilogram weight of sabalo.

Several bangus fry collection methods are practiced in the Philippines. This includes fry barriers or fences, seine nets and "bulldozer" nets.

The collected bangus fry are placed in well-ventilated containers, preferably wooden vats or big earthen jars filled with clean brackishwater. The containers are kept on cool areas. Overexposure to sunlight is avoided or the fry die. Also, the fry must be brought to the concessionaires’ buying stations without delay.

The lack of fry is just one of the many problems that beset bangus production in the country. Dr. Guerrero cites two more: low productivity in ponds and high cost of feeds for culture in cages.

In dealing with these three problems, the PCAMRD head suggests: "These can be solved by putting up more hatcheries, stepping up extension services to farmers, and development of low-cost feeds."