Alien Fish series continues this Wednesday on 'Born to be Wild'

BORN TO BE WILD

“Alien Fish”

Part 2 this Wednesday, August 22

 

Last Wednesday, Doc Nielsen Donato and his team documented a meter-long Taiwan Carp locally known as burasi in Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija. The burasi is a fish not native to the country, and Pantabangan is one of those areas that harbour some “alien” fish species. But the burasi is the not the biggest in Pantabangan. According to residents, another fish called the ‘black mask’ can grow as long as a small boat.  As the wild vet starts his investigation on the ‘black mask’, he hears of another species of fish that allegedly infests the dam. The fisherman describes the fish as having sharp teeth and a reddish body—similar to a piranha. But there are no piranhas in the Philippines, and Doc Nielsen is puzzled by the fisherman’s description. His curiosity leads him to another location where this alien fish is said to thrive.

 

Last week, Mariz Umali headed to Laguna de Bay. Authorities are troubled by the growing population of knife fish—an invasive species—in the country’s largest lake. Mariz and her team documented fourteen heads of knife fish caught by local fishermen in just one night, but they have yet to see the giant knife fish which can devour native fish by the hundreds. But Mariz soon discovers that seeing the knife fish is only the beginning—there are other ‘aliens’ lurking under Laguna lake.

 

Don’t miss the second part of BORN TO BE WILD’s Alien Fish series this Wednesday after Saksi.