Philippine Fish Species

Philippine Fish Species - List of Common Fish in the PhilippinesA list of Philippine fish names in English and Filipino (Tagalog), with some scientific names and fish pictures to help identify particular Filipino fish species found in local fish markets:              Agoot - grunt Alakaak - croaker Alumahan - long-jawed mackerel / Indian mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) Alumahang bato - chub mackerel (e.g. Scomber japonicus) Apahap - barramundi, seaperch Asohos - sillago / whiting (e.g. Sillago sihama) Ayungin - silver perch / silver theraponid (Leiopotherapon plumbeus) Babansi / bagaong - terapon (e.g. Terapon jarbua) Bakoko - grunt (e.g. Pomadasys argenteus), seabream, sweet lips Banak / asubi / talilong - mullet Bangus - milkfish (Chanos chanos) Bidbid - Hawaiian ladyfish (Elops hawaiensis) Biloan - lattice monocle bream (Scolopsis taeniopterus) [?] Bisugo         Bisugo - threadfin bream (e.g. Nemipterus japonicus), jobfish, goatfish Bitilya - emperor (e.g. Lethrinus lentjan) Biya - goby (generally, some exceptions) Buan-buan - Indo-Pacific tarpon (Megalops cyprinoides) Burara - bigeye snapper (Lutjanus lutjanus) [?] Chabeta / hiwas - moonfish (Mene maculata) Dalag - mudfish / striped snakehead (Channa striata) Dalag-dagat - cobia (Rachycentron canadum) queenfish Dulong .usually scads with longer narrower bodies)               Gulyasan .mackerel scad (Decapterus macarellus).g.Commerson's anchovy (Stolephorus commersonnii). Clarias batrachus) Igat / palos . e.catfish (black. Indian scad / Russell's mackerel scad (Decapterus russelli). e.surgeonfish.catfish (silver. Aristichthys nobilis) Kitang . scad (various .g. Indian anchovy (Stolephorus indicus)   Dorado .fusilier Danggit .flounder.mangrove red snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus) Kabasi .eel Isu .dolphinfish / mahi-mahi (Coryphaena hippurus).beltfish / largehead hairtail (Trichiurus lepturus) Galunggong . Nematalosa nasus.rabbitfish Dapa .lacustrine goby (Gobiopterus lacustris) Espada   Espada .parrotfish .g.lizardfish Kanduli .g. sole (flatfish) Dilat .deepbody sardinella (Sardinella brachysoma) Lapu-lapu .anchovy o Twakang .skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) Hasa-hasa / kabalyas / kabayas .gizzard shad (e.carp (e.spotted scat (Scatophagus argus) Labahita .short mackerel (Rastrelliger brachysoma) Hito . unicornfish Lao-lao / lawlaw .g. Epinephelus coioides) Loro .red bigeye (Priacanthus macracanthus) Dilis .grouper (e. Arius manillensis) Karpa . Anodontostoma chacunda) Kalaso .     Dalagang bukid . mojarra.deepwater red snapper (Etelis carbunculus).snapper (e.ponyfish / slipmouth Silinyasi / tunsoy .yellowtail scad (Atule mate)       Sapsap . scad (various . bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) Maya-maya / bambangin / pargo .usually rounder wider scads with yellow marking) o o Salay-salay aso / salingga .toothpony (Gazza minuta) Talakitok / maliputo . Caranx ignobilis) Talimusak .climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) Matangbaka .fringescale sardinella (Sardinella fimbriata) Sinarapan .Malakapas           Ludong . Parastromateus niger) Sagisi / tikwi .Mistichthys luzonensis Taksay . swordfish Mamali .oxeye scad (Selar boops). Lutjanus sebae) Pampano .vermiculated spinefoot (Siganus vermiculatus) Malakapas .trevally / jack / cavalla (e.goldlined spinefoot (Siganus guttatus) Salay ginto . herring scad (Alepes vari).g.maned goby (Oxyurichthys microlepis) .yellowstripe scad (Selaroides leptolepis).g.pomfret and pompano (e.g.blue marlin. silver-biddy Malasugi .lobed river mullet (Cestraeus plicatilis) Malaga . deepwater longtail red snapper (Etelis coruscans)  Samaral .shrimp scad (Alepes djedaba) Salay batang / kalapato .Yellowstripe scad  Salay-salay .fourfinger threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum) Martiniko . needlefish Bolador . Portunus pelagicus).Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus commerson). blue swimmer crab.wrasse Paru-parong dagat . wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri) Torsilyo     Tawilis .sardine Tanigue / tangigue .yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares). Indo-Pacific king mackerel (Scomberomorus guttatus).garfish Maming . bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Tamban .crab Portunidae spp. frigate tuna (Auxis thazard) Other Fish:       Ataba .freshwater sardinella (Sardinella tawilis) Tilapia / pla pla . Cypselurus opisthopus) Kansusuit . Oreochromis niloticus) Torsilyo .g.flying fish (e.   Tambakol . Crustaceans.g. bullet tuna (Auxis rochei).barracuda Tulingan .mud crab o Putian / bulik .butterflyfish Mollusks.kawakawa / mackerel tuna (Euthynnus affinis). and other Shellfish:  Alimasag .tilapia (e.g.Indo-Pacific swamp crab / mangrove king crab (Scylla serrata) . (e. coral crab (Charybdis feriatus)  Alimango .archerfish Balo . Asian clam (Corbicula fluminea previously also known as Corbicula manilensis)  Hipon . lobster Other Sea Creatures and Aquatic Species:       Arosep / lato . Ruditapes philippinarum) o Tulya . Perna viridis) Talaba .octopus Pusit .squid o o Pusit Bisaya . crayfish.mussel (e.Sepioteuthis lessoniana [?])        Sugpo .orange mud crab (Scylla olivacea) Curacha .g.snail Tahong .g. Metapenaeus ensis)    Kuhol .g. Caulerpa racemosa) Balatan .shrimp (e.sea grape seaweed (Caulerpa lentillifera.g.o    Pulahan .larger dark-speckled squid (bigfin reef squid .endeavor prawn (e.Pacific angelwing clam (Pholas Orientalis) Halaan .sea worm Butanding .smaller pink-speckled squid (Indian squid .oyster (e. whiteleg shrimp.whale Bulate .sea cucumber Balyena . Penaeus vannamei) o Swahe / suahe .clam (e.jellyfish .giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii).prawn (e.shore crab (Varuna litterata) Tuyom .whale shark (Rhincodon typus) Dikya . red endeavor prawn / greasy back shrimp. Manila clam / Japanese carpet shell.snail (Pila luzonica) Pugita .sea urchin Ulang . Crassostrea iredalei) Talangka .spanner crab / red frog crab (Ranina ranina) Diwal .Loligo duvauceli [?]) Pusit lumot .g. Penaeus monodon) Susô .g. The country's tropical climate and coral reefs make its waters located near the center of the Coral Triangle among the richest in marine life anywhere providing a bounty of fresh Philippine seafood and an assortment of tropical fish.6 grams of fish or fish products a day making it the primary source of protein in the Filipino diet.shark Notes In the Philippines fish are called isda.ray Pating . Eucheuma spp. The best time to buy fish is early in the morning.6% of the GDP composition. The Philippines being a predominantly Christian nation. From there fish are distributed to local markets. There are many varieties of fish.) Pagi .seaweed (e. An ordinary Filipino consumes around 98. fish are especially popular during Lent. Philippine fishing boats bring their catch to places like the Navotas Fish Port Complex (the largest in the country) while it is still dark. Fishing is an important source of livelihood for many Filipinos. In 1998 around 3% of the country's labor force was involved in the Philippine fishing industry which contributed to about 3.g.   Guso . According to some estimates 5% of the world's reef area is in Philippine waters and the marine fish in the area represent 20% of the total marine fish in the world. Commercial fishing operations produce most of the catch but a growing percentage comes from aquaculture / mariculture. . custom and usage varies and contradictions frequently crop up. local names and regional names from other parts of the country like the Visayas or Ilocos or even other Tagalog provinces with their own name variants are sometimes used in Manila wet markets. Given the various Philippine languages and the disparate islands comprising the archipelago. and Pampano Naming of Philippine Fish Filipino fish names can get confusing very quickly.Maya-maya. Tagalog is the dominant language but because of the influx of people from the provinces. Different names can be given to the same fish and a name can be applied to multiple fish—and that's just in the same dialect and region. Alumahan and Hasa-hasa Alumahan can apparently be used in some places to refer to Rastrelliger brachysoma as well as Rastrelliger kanagurta but my local fishmonger will say that is simply wrong and that the two are distinct. In Metro Manila. On the other hand he will accept that different Philippine fish species can each be . Samaral. although in those cases it may also be to differentiate them from tamban. According to one explanation. Maliputo seems to have a reputation for being a good food fish comparable to that of the maya-maya that talakitok does not. Kalapato is an alternative name not only for certain salay-salay but also talakitok. talakitok grows in seawater while maliputo grows in freshwater. Talakitok Some sources seem to indicate that talakitok and maliputo largely refer to the same species.called salay-salay. but others make a distinction. narrower and rounder . Maliputo and Maya-maya Lapad translates as wide in Filipino and is often used to describe and differentiate Caesio cuning from Pterocaesio digramma—dalagang bukid (lapad) and dalagang bukid (bilog) respectively. Sardinella brachysoma. But lapad is also used as a common name for various short flat and wide sardinellas like Sardinella albella. and Sardinella fimbriata. Tawilis is also used for these sardinella but it is a name probably most properly reserved for the Philippine freshwater fish specie endemic to Lake Taal. Elsewhere in the Philippines.] Then again some consider the samaral a malaga while others seem to consider them distinctly different fish. Sardines are popular fish for canning. The two species seem to interbreed and may be one and the same. Tinapa is the Filipino term for smoked fish while tuyo is the Filipino word for dry and is also used for dried fish. members of the Siganidae family can also be called kitang. spinefoots. and members of the family Siganidae in general and can thus be applied to samaral. while in my area kitang is the name for scats which are in the family Scatophagidae.sardines. Even though a source I'm looking at says lawlaw and silinyasi refer to different sardinella. [Which may also be goldlined spinefoot (Siganus lineatus). I wouldn't be surprised if in practice the terms along with lapad and tunsoy are actually being used interchangeably for the similar looking fish species. so smoked or dried fish are sometimes referred to as salinas. The town of Rosario. smoking and drying. But in my local wet market at least danggit refers to what looks like mottled spinefoot (Siganus fuscescens) and samaral refers pretty specifically to orange-spotted spinefoot (Siganus guttatus). Danggit According to sources danggit refer to rabbitfish. . Cavite previously called Salinas (derived from sal Spanish for salt) is known for its tinapa and tuyo. but red tilapia is not as highly valued as either of those fish. Restaurants In paluto restaurants with fresh or live fish to select from. Red tilapia. Tilapia is an introduced species in the country grown in fish cages and fish ponds largely used in aquaculture because of its fast reproduction leading it to be called "chicken of the sea". It's a possibly misleading fish since its red pigmentation may lead those unfamiliar with it to mistake it for maya-maya. But tulingan usually refers to smaller tuna while tambakol gets applied to larger ones. . are sometimes interchanged with one another or used to refer to tuna in general. Bariles is another common fish name. and "kingfish" is a designation that has been used for tanigue. that is used for large tuna. has also been observed in some fish and seafood restaurants. maya-maya and lapu-lapu are popular premium fish choices. taken from the Spanish word for barrel. both often referring to bluish-tinged tuna. sometimes presented as "kingfish". A Philippine fish recipe that would work well with these fish is to cook them escabeche. Red tilapia is a hybrid fish created by fish farmers.Kitang and Tulingan The names tulingan and tambakol. Scombroid fish poisoning with symptoms similar to an allergic reaction is associated with tunas. basa. selling and eating of seafood from certain areas.R. Elvira. or tra referring to different species. Risks Although the Philippine fish identified on the main list are believed to be sold in markets one needs to take care with unfamiliar fish. FAO Species Catalogue – Volume 6 Snappers of the World – An annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. mahi-mahi. A Regional Survey of the Aquaculture Sector in East Asia – ADCP/88/31.  Baluyut. buying. This is actually a fish from the family Pangasius. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. mackerels. Blue marlin also pops up with some frequency as does gindara. (1989). Salmon although imported and more expensive has also become popular. Red tide toxins are a danger related to harmful algal blooms. . One species may be safe while another in the same family may not be. the usual unspecified nameless white fish in fillet form that has apparently become the default is the so-called "cream dory" also called "river cobbler". FAO. (1985). and marlin that have spoiled resulting in the release of histamines which are unaffected by cooking. More information  Allen. The Philippine government issues red tide alerts from time to time to warn about the harvesting. G. There are also reports of ciguatera poisoning with some species. At Filipino restaurants bangus is usually available somewhere in the menu. imported and usually described elsewhere as Vietnamese catfish with the names swai. Even among those fish that are widely eaten some need to be prepared or handled a certain way prior to cooking and eating for them to be safe.Red tilapia At restaurants where fresh or live fish are not available. Lavapie-Gonzales. 233-1. Maria Eloisa E. Vol.  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). No.  Hernando. Tropical Shrimp Fisheries and Their Impact on Living Resources.C. C. Series of 2011. Fishes of the Philippines – A Guide to Identification of Families.T. Fisheries Administrative Order No. Department of the Interior.    Carpenter. 'Maliputo. 974. 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