The Aftermath of Midterm Examination in Advanced Ecology

Reminiscing what had happened last January 22, 2011… I woke around 5:00 A.M. to review specifically the Optimal Foraging Theory (OPT). Then around 10:00 A.M., I travelled from my abode in Sucat, Paranaque to my Learning Center in UP Manila. As I was driving, some questions about OPT were playing in my mind… its applications and its idiosyncrasies. Oh my! I was sure that a question on OPT will really come out in the midterm examination, I arrived an hour early for my 1:00 P.M. schedule midterm exam. So, I just chilled in nearby gasoline station pondering what questions will come out.

By 1:00 P.M., I was sitting in the examination room of UPOU Learning Center in UP Manila. After some formalities, Ms. Erlinda Manarin handed over to me a one-piece and crisp questionnaire. My heart was really pounding… I could not breathe… oh my…. BINGO… Question No. 7 was all about OPT and its applications… Being so fresh in my mind… I started answering it. I was pretty sure… my answer provided justice to the question.  Do I have the right to claim this (hopefully), Sir Baggy?

As I was driving home, the “janitor fish” really stuck to my eukaryotic brain. As such, coming from the southbound lane of Osmena Highway, my hand was being maneuvered by my mind to turn right at Gil Puyat. I just found myself in Cartimar, Libertad, Pasay City looking for what in the world is janitor fish.  I heard so many stories about janitor fish from my some aquarium aficionados. Some said it is carnivorous type of fish, others said it strange-looking. Hah! -- Enough of the myths. Fortunately, I saw this creepy creature for the first time. Nothing so fancy... It looks like my favorite fish which is hito or catfish! My visit at Cartimar did not end my inquisitiveness on janitor fish.

 

Source: The Vermiculated sailfin catfish (Pterygoplichthys
disjunctivus, locally known as“janitor fish.
Source:www.fishbase.org

I started reading some articles about it --- its origin, distribution and habitat. This janitor fish is driving me nuts! Then I encountered the problems on janitor fish are not only being experienced in Laguna De Bay and Marikina River but also in Agusan Marsh. Undeniably, the janitor fish came to existence in Philippines accidentally to find a habitat where they can survive a lifetime, not to clean a body of water as if it were a tank or an aquarium. They compete for food with the native catfish, carps, mudfish, tilapia and other fish species. Being opportunistic and voracious feeders, they may cause their numbers to increase enough to disrupt the water ecosystem in Laguna de Bay, Marikina River and Agusan March by displacing the native fish species, and causing the reduction of native fish catch. If the government does not act immediately to resolve this problem, then these bodies of water will no longer be a habitat for the many but a habitat for the janitor fish alone.

Presently, there are some projects that focus on the alternative uses of janitor fish. One project aims to establish the viability of using the janitor fish as the basic raw material and ingredient for fish and animal feed.  Some groups claim that it can be used for biofuel, organic fertilizer, and leather and janitor fish silage. Given this situation, it came up to my mind (it may sound crazy, though) to utilize the janitor fish as delicacy assuming that the heavy metal content is within permissible limit for human consumption. According to some chefs I communicated with, this idea is feasible as exemplified by utilization of gindara and puffer fish in gourmet meals. My colleague mentioned that the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Marine and Aquatic Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCMARRD) had a study that during processing/cooking, substantial reduction in heavy metal content was evident (need to verify, though). At the moment, I am writing a proposal together with one of the resident chefs in our school on the use janitor fish as gourmet delicacy. Nonetheless, study on the distribution and population of this fish in Marikina River, Laguna de Bay and Agusan Marsh should be conducted to determine its range and abundance. This study should then be extended to ecology and reproductive biology of the fish. These insights will give light to its control and eradication.

I know, this is a wild idea but who knows!!!