Seasonality, abundance and spawning season of milkfish Chanos chanos (Forsskål, 1775) at Teouma Bay, Vanuatu

Aquaculture of milkfish (Chanos chanos) has been proposed by FAO as an option to address food security and meet the increasing food protein demand in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). One aquaculture method proposed in PICTs relies on wild fry collection for farming purposes. This study describes for the first time the seasonality and abundance of milkfish fry in the coastal shoreline of Teouma Bay at Efate Island in Vanuatu, South Pacific Ocean. The fry sampling was done weekly for one year, using a bulldozer net. The annual milkfish fry seasonality was from october to may, with two frequency peaks, one in november and the other in april. The fry were significantly more abundant in the wet season (november – april) compared to the dry season (may – october). Milkfish fry mean total length was 12.8 ± 1.2 mm, and age ranged from 13 to 25 days old. The long fry seasonality in Vanuatu might be advantageous for milkfish aquaculture; however, due to the very low abundances documented in this study, a more thorough assessment at multiple sites is recommended with attention to strengthening the implementation of relevant ecological and socio-economic policies that regulate the integrity of coastal ecosystems supporting potential food sources.