A fisherman was killed by a needlefish, locally known as tambilawan, while fishing off shore of Tigbauan town on Wednesday, April 24. The 59-year-old Rudy Tinasas, a resident of the town’s Barangay Parara Norte, was declared “dead on arrival” at the hospital. Tigbauan police said Tinasas was onboard a fishing boat with his child when a jumping needlefish stabbed through the abdomen of the victim. Irene Legaspi, an associate researcher at the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, described the incident as a rare occurrence.

Ladiao, T. (2024, April 26). Needlefish kills fishermen in Tigbauan.Panay News, p. 5.