Milkfish Has Too Many Small Bones, Can New Deboning Technology Help Farmers Find a Bigger Market?

A fish can be nutritious and affordable but still struggle to find buyers if consumers find it difficult to eat. That has been a problem for milkfish, a fast-growing brackishwater species whose many fine intermuscular bones can make eating inconvenient.

Now, ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture, or ICAR-CIBA, Chennai, has developed a deboning technology designed to remove these fine bones. The institute says the process can make milkfish more convenient for consumers and open opportunities for value-added products.

For farmers, the development is important because better consumer acceptance can create demand beyond the sale of whole fish.

Why is milkfish getting attention?

Milkfish, scientifically known as Chanos chanos, is a herbivorous fish suited to brackishwater farming. ICAR-CIBA describes it as a promising species for diversifying India’s brackishwater aquaculture sector.

Under suitable farming conditions, milkfish can reach around 500 grams in six months. ICAR-CIBA reports productivity of about 4.5–5 tonnes per hectare, with an average farming cost of around ₹100 per kilogram and a farm-gate price of nearly ₹200 per kilogram. Actual results can vary with farming conditions, feed, survival and local markets.

The fish also has good-quality protein and delicate white flesh. Yet its fine intermuscular bones have limited consumer acceptance.

That creates a market problem. Farmers can produce the fish, but consumers need a product that is convenient enough to buy regularly.

What does the new technology do?

The new ICAR-CIBA process focuses on removing the numerous fine intermuscular bones that make milkfish difficult to eat.

The institute demonstrated the technique at its Muttukadu Experimental Station in Chennai on September 11, 2026. Fish harvested from CIBA’s ponds were processed during a live demonstration for farmers, fisher self-help groups, entrepreneurs, seafood businesses and other participants.

The demonstration did not stop at removing the bones. Participants were also shown how deboned milkfish could be used to prepare different value-added and ready-to-cook products.

That changes the business proposition. Instead of selling only whole fish, processors can explore products designed around convenience.

Why does value addition matter?

When farmers sell a whole fish, much of the work after harvest happens elsewhere. Cleaning, cutting, processing, packaging and retailing can create additional stages where value is added.

A deboned fish can be more convenient for consumers than a whole fish with many small bones. That may make it easier to develop products such as ready-to-cook portions or other processed foods.

For farmers, the benefit does not automatically come from the deboning machine or technique itself. The bigger opportunity is creating a reliable market for the processed product.

This means farmers, processors and buyers need to work together. A farmer may produce the fish, a processing unit may debone and package it, and retailers or restaurants may sell the final product.

Can small farmers benefit?

Milkfish farming is already being adopted by farmers in several coastal states. ICAR-CIBA says farmers in Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Goa have adopted milkfish grow-out farming.

A processing model could give these farmers another market if demand for deboned products grows.

But a farmer does not need to start a processing unit alone. Farmer groups, self-help groups, cooperatives and local entrepreneurs could potentially handle processing while farmers concentrate on production.

Such a model would need suitable facilities, trained workers, cold-chain arrangements, packaging and food-safety practices. The economics would also depend on processing costs and the price consumers are willing to pay.

The aim should therefore be to build a complete value chain rather than simply introduce another processing technique.

What products could be made?

The recent CIBA demonstration included ready-to-cook milkfish products. This is important because convenience is becoming a major factor in food purchases.

A deboned fish can potentially be sold in portions that require less preparation at home. Processors can also explore different recipes and formats depending on local demand.

Restaurants and seafood businesses could be another market. If consumers find the fish easier to eat, restaurants may have more reasons to include it in their menus.

But product development needs to be matched with food safety, shelf-life testing, packaging and proper storage. A good product still needs to reach consumers in good condition.

What is the opportunity for aquaculture?

Milkfish offers farmers another species option in brackishwater areas. CIBA has already developed production technologies covering breeding, seed production, farming and feed.

The institute has also demonstrated milkfish farming in different production systems. Earlier CIBA work in Pulicat, Tamil Nadu, showed the species could be grown in a brackishwater pen system, with a reported benefit-cost ratio of 1.25 in that demonstration. Results from such demonstrations should not be treated as guaranteed returns for every farmer.

The new deboning technology adds another part to the picture: the market after harvest.

If production technology helps farmers grow the fish and processing technology makes it easier to sell, the two can support each other.

The challenge is building the market

Removing the bones solves one consumer problem, but it does not guarantee a large market.

Consumers need to know what milkfish is and how it can be prepared. Processors need to maintain quality. Farmers need dependable buyers. Retailers need products that can compete with other fish.

ICAR-CIBA’s September demonstration brought farmers, entrepreneurs, seafood businesses, restaurants and other stakeholders together for precisely this reason. The programme was designed not only to demonstrate deboning but also to discuss farming, value addition and market potential.

The next step will be seeing whether these connections turn into regular commercial demand.

For farmers, the lesson is broader than milkfish. Producing more fish is only one part of aquaculture. Making the product easier to buy, prepare and consume can also influence whether a species finds a wider market.

If deboning technology can overcome one of milkfish’s biggest consumer barriers, the fish may have a better chance of moving from a promising farm species to a more widely consumed product.