Hi Bruce milkfish farming is a centuries-old industry in Philippines. What I heard it has been slow to modernize and now faces challenges from competing aquaculture species and current economic realities. However, the domestic market is large and the export market has globally expanded. Milkfish price and personal income affect the amount of milkfish consumed in the countries of origin. So far Producers of milkfish do not usually sell fish directly to consumers, but supply them through cooperatives, brokers, dealers, collectors or wholesalers, and retailers. In general, the majority of fish products are sold in auction markets through dealers, brokers, wholesalers or cooperatives to smaller dealers, and then retailers.
Increasingly I saw in SM mall that the milkfish is processed into value-added forms: smoked, dried, marinated (brined, sweetened), fermented with rice, and canned or bottled in various styles (salmon style, sardine style, Spanish style, smoked in oil, etc.) they even have frozen prime cuts of milkfish bellies and backs, or heads and tails. Maybe, judging by their packaging there are exported in other country in different product forms: quick-frozen, dried, canned, smoked or marinated. The trader highlighted that Philippines is the only country in the world to produce boneless milkfish to date.
When come to the younger generation they tends to avoid eating milkfish because of their bony flesh like any any new hip hop generation they simply love McDonald fish fillet. While, Jollie bee should introduce and developed milkfish fish fillet burger advertised and marketed it to the younger generation., it might be a runaway success.
If you need to export just drop me an email. In the farm level for example, the Philippines complies with the minimum aquaculture HACCP requirements, from hatchery production to harvest, before milkfish products are processed for export.
Ecology and Farming of Milkfish.
Milkfish farming in Taiwan: A review of practice and problems (Fish culture report / Taiwan Fisheries Research Institute)
