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(Click for large pic. 63Kb)
This is a brilliant silvery fish reaching a length of 1. 2 m (4 feet) in local waters. The back has a greenish tint which may become a deeper hue in muddier localities. The mouth is small and toothless. As suggested by the great sweep of the tail fin, it is a powerful swimmer; it generally inhabits mangrove lined foreshores and estuaries along our entire coastline.
Shoals of Milk fish ranging to 13.5 kg (30 lb,) and better are brought inshore by burleying with stale bread. A balloon floated line baited with a carefully cut bread crust is paid out; the swift strike and flashing fast run is known to have stripped gears of reels.
Unfortunately. it is not a good table fish. though edible. judged by Australian standards. Like many of the Mullets, the Milk fish feeds upon detritus the rich layer of organic material that accumulates on the bottom in muddy estuaries.
Spawning occurs in shallow brackish water, a single fish providing as many as 9 million eggs. Except for the spawning season, the Milk fish is typically an open water species however, they will venture into shallow lagoons where they can survive in water so hot (over 32'C) that a man cannot comfortably stand in it.
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