The town of Tanay in Rizal province is turning knife fish caught from Laguna de Bay into organic compost to address the growing population of the predator species that continues to threaten local aquaculture. The knife fish (Chitala ornata) is an ornamental species that the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) had earlier said found its way into the lake by having escaped from an aquarium at the height of the 2009 Tropical Storm “Ondoy.” With a body shaped like a knife and razor-sharp teeth, the carnivorous species feed on the fingerlings of other native species in the lake such as bangus (milkfish), tilapia, “ayungin” and “biya.”

Cinco, M. (2015, January 27). In Tanay, Rizal, predator knife fish ends up as fertilizer. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A13.