What is the smallest fish in the World?

Female Photocorynus spiniceps, with male on back (left) and Paedocypris progenetica (right) © adapted from TW Pietsch, Uni.of Washington

Is the 7.9mm Paedocypris fish really the smallest in the world?

Ted Pietsch, of the University of Washington, disagrees and believes the title belongs to two males of the species called Photocorynus spiniceps , which are 6.2mm and 6.5mm long, the females being 46-50.5mm.

Hangers-on

Photocorynus spiniceps are deep-sea angler fishes found in Gulf of Panama and the Philippines. The males are a great deal smaller than the females and once they have found a female they attach themselves to the females back for the rest of their lives, a phenomenon known as ectoparasitism or sexual parasitism . The female can have many males attached to her and she might be considered a functional hermaphrodite.

Small and mature

The male Photocorynus could be described as just a sac with testes, as many of its organs have been reduced. Pietsch measured one male at 6.2mm and two others at 6.5mm and 7mm, noting the 'three newly reported parasitic males are also mature or at least close to maturity' and the testes of the smallest two 'are especially well developed, …each containing large amounts of developing spermatozoa, but without evidence of flagellated sperm.'

This is important because they need to be sexually mature adults before they can be counted as the world's smallest. Pietsch states that these males are 'among the world's smallest known sexually mature vertebrates as defined in terms of length, volume, and weight.'

Publishing research

Pietsch's work appeared in the September issue of Ichthyological Research, published by the Ichthyological Society of Japan.

Dr Ralf Britz and colleagues, who had their work on the Paedocypris fish published last week, said they had not seen the work before their own was published.

Smallest species rather than individuals

Britz points out that the two processes that lead to miniaturisation in Photocorynus and Paedocypris are very different and he raises the question whether the former sexual parasites can be comparable to a free-living fish. Photocorynus spiniceps may have the smallest individuals but Paedocypris progenetica is the smallest species.

Britz adds that the most interesting and important aspect of this research is 'all these organisms, no matter which one is the smallest, are unusual in many aspects and deserve to be studied in greater detail.'

Pietsch said, 'There are always difficulties in talking about the smallest - would that be length, volume or weight - the debate goes round and round.'

Unexplored globe

Britz concludes, 'The whole exchange is quite amusing and in the end, what is really important is that we appreciate that there are still many areas on this globe that are unexplored, containing vast numbers of new species, among them very unusual ones that need to be discovered and their biology and anatomy explored.

'For some habitats we are facing a race against time, because they disappear faster than we can survey them.'

Has anyone known "Sinarapan"? It's the smallest fish i think with the size of 2.1 mm. sinarapan is formerly abundant in Lake Buhi, Camarines, Philippines but now also in vanishing stage because of human activities too!

Of fish and fishes.....

This message is a follow-up communication between Mr. Magnaye and ANAKBALAYAN via email:

aFrom: ohtie magnaye
To: Fillmoore Gadon
Sent: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 6:13:40 PM
Subject: Re:

Gud day mr. gadon..i'm very supriced and so glad ,coz lot of our kababayan are concerning our ENVIRONMENT and fighting to elimanated the "SALOT sa ating KARAGATAN"..Hindi ba nababangit sa iyo ng ating mga kababayan diyan sa nassakupan ng mula"PALIKPIKAN to KARATIG POOK" mula unang panahon till 1990's ay may NAMAMARA sa mga tabing dagat na isdang DILIS..Boung baybaying ng BALAYAN BAY ay sagana iyan..milyong kababayan natin ang uma-asa lalo na itong ang mga panghanap buhay na "BAYAKUS o HILA_HILA"..Sa isdang DILIS din kaya napasok ang ating bayan ng BALAYAN sa HISTORY ng boung mundo(dahil makikita mo ito sa kahit saan man dako ng mundo) ang "BAGOONG BALAYAN"..At tanda ko pa rin na kapag MALIWANAG ang BUWAN at namangka sa medyo laot ay pag kumatok ay nagluluk-suhan ang mga isdang ito sa bangka..Sagana tayo sa tuyong DILIS noon..At ito rin ang dahilan kaya noon ay masagana kahit anong isda , pagkat ito ang kinakain nila.. Sana pagtuunan na rin natin ng pansin ang "SALOT na ginagamit na pANGISDA ng mga taga HUKAY (boung calatagan) at tga ANILAO..ito iyong "SIMBOR"panghuli ng isdang DOLONG(DILIS when matured),Kung saan sa mga ROCKYSHORES nag O_OPERATED at nangi-ngitlog ang mga ISDANG DILIS..Ginagamitan din ito ng maliwanag na ilaw.... Hindi cguro nai-iisip ng mga taong gumagawa nito na,kapag lumaki ang isang TABO na DULONG, ang katumbas nito ay more than isang BANYERA na DILIS..Sa aking palagay ay wala na ring mahuli ang taong gumagawa nito dahil halos wala ng ISDANG DOLONG.... Sana mabigyan din ang mga ito ng ADVICE or SIMINAR sa kanilang mga ginagawa..Alam ko at alam din ating mga kababayan na dati ay mga "BINTOL"(small basnig na coleman lang ang gamit pang-ilaw)ang dating ginagamit ng mga taong ito,madali lang lumaki ang isdang ito,at saka nila hulihin..okey din naman humuli ito ng isda ang "BINTOL" at ENVIRO FRIENDLY ang ganitong uri ng pangisda...Mr. Gadon,matatanong mo ang ating mga kababayan sa mga nabanggit kong lugar kung totoo ang aking sinasabing ito....At nawa ay maibalik natin sa DATI ang KASAGANAAN ng ISDA hindi lang sa ating BALAYAN BAY kundi sa boung KARAGATAN ng PILIPINAS...Again thanks and MABUHAY KAYO>>

A little bit of the dish:

"Dulong" or Anchovy fry(?) (Gobiopterus lacustis? or Family Engraulidae?) are part of a very large group of different species of gobies or anchovies. Tiny fish that can rest on your smallest fingertips, these little morsels of flavor and protein are either served totally raw, cooked in vinegar (kinilaw style), cooked in banana leaves, battered and fried into fish cakes, or simply dried (pictured here) then fried. There isn’t a whole lot written on this fish and even the proper scientific name was hard to nail conclusively. Some sources say it part of the Gobiidae family (very common, 1 out of every 10 fish is a goby) while other sources say Engraulidae family… so I can’t say for certain. If I had to make a bet, I would lean towards the Engraulidae, mini anchovy path as these appear to be the smaller version of anchovies that are used in the making of patis.

A freshwater dweller at this early stage of their lives, dulong must eventually work their way back to the sea and grow up to be the anchovies we know from Caesar (Cesar) salads and mashed up in Worcestershire sauce. Like Salmon that find freshwater by fighting their way upstream to have their young, the anchovies are supposed to be safer in freshwater until they are ready to enter the fish-eat-fish world in the open ocean. While they may be safer from fellow sea creatures, they are harvested by humans in staggering amounts. In the Philippines, government statistics suggest that we harvest somewhere between 200-300 metric tons of dulong per annum. That must mean billions and billions of fry!

A few weeks ago I saw some dried dulong (daing na dulong) and debated with the seller whether I should get the more familiar dried dilis or the tiny dulong. She suggested just lightly toasting or frying the dried dulong in a pan with a smidgen of oil. I bought a small package for P40 and promptly brought them home and forgot about them. A few weeks later, searching for salty breakfast food, I fried up the dulong for just a few minutes in a hot pan (note there is very little oil) and served it with hot rice and a chopped tomato relish with chilli vinegar. The fried egg hadn’t made it onto the plate yet. The dried dulong was really good, and not all that salty - it’s probably just literally dried and not heavily salted… Terrific crunch, slightly salty flavor, and that unique daing experience (bitter taste that comes with munching an entire being, brains and guts and all) that is truly an acquired taste. The little bag of dulong easily served four; look for it in the markets or provincial specialty stalls.

(Note: this is an account of a resident blogger in Manila, from Manila Market web site.)

"Dulong" is not a "Dulis" (Balayanos term for "Dilis", an anchovy specie) is an argument oftentimes ending in heated debates going on up to this days in western Batangas, Philippines.

Working or should i say voluntarily working as a coastal community development worker for nearly 10 years now and continuously implementing Fish Stock Assessment, i could not find the exact classification and scientific/english name of it. Neither the two Australian marine biologists, Mr. Stuart Horneman and Miss Selina Stoute during the CERD days, could exactly identify this small fish. My co-worker Tatay Ed Enderez said dulong is different from dulis. He further urge that dulong no longer grows, in size, compared to dulis- the anchovy. Scrutinizing closely the sample dulong does not have that longitudinal silver line as explicitly characterized a dulis. The former has that almost transparent body as opposed to the solid whitish body of dulis.

Whether or not dulong is dulis is not a big matter. What really matters here is the threatened ecological system which human activities-over fishing, habitat destructions, pollutions, etc., brings. Again true to what Mr. magnaye had written to us, small fish serves as food to their next-in-size which feed also the next-in-size to them and it chainly continues. When a part of this system is broken or changed unmanageably the system became unproductive , economically and ecologically. Ultimately the result is poverty.

As a member of Municipal Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council [MFARMC], we opted to recommend to the local legislators to enact amendments to the Municipal Fishery Ordinance a part stating prohibitions of fine mesh nets in the municipal waters. Balayan is abundant in dulong and dulis in the early days with municipal coast characterized by rocky flats in some of its coastal communities which may attribute to the species habitats as mentioned by Mr. Magnaye in his letter. However, these species are gearing to be extinct in the municipality may be due to erosions that buried the habitats, pollution both by domestic and industrial wastes, and perhaps unmanaged extractions. Bayakos (Beach Seine) is a gear that was used by Balayanos in the later years. however this gear had been improvized too. At the later time, it uses fine mesh nets in a bag type end of the gear unlike the former times where it is just a pure net with small "mata" (holes). The abundance of these species in the past fave way to the many users and speaking of prohibitions, RA 8550 has that clause specifically giving authority to local government units to effectively design and mange its own fishery conservation mechanism upon duly consultation with the MFARMC .

Balayan MFARMC recommended to the municipality to give the Barangays the decision of whether or not they would allow the use of Bayakos in their area. After all, if totally prohibited there are no alternative or supplemental support that can be given to these users. Further the worst economic crisis is battering the entire world.

For some, this would mean cutting off the rights of lowly impoverish fishers, but for a concerned citizens and helping in proper management of resources, the action is a balanced recommendation as no one can proved the exact seasons or month that dulong and dulis surface [seasonal use of fine mesh net gear], was not totally prohibited, giving local government units ample participation in fishery management and conservation, and giving the species themselves the chance, opportunities and place to hide from their predators which includes human activities to maintain its existence!

Illegal Fishing: Still rampant in Balayan Bay

More than two months ago, while browsing the net for references on the endeavor that i was working with (sort of a database for local communities), i came across this column in the provincial government of Batangas website. My referencing was then put aside because of the message below:









Balayan Bay

"I hope n makarating sa ating kagalang-galang na GOV. VILMA S. RECTO ang messages na ito...

Sa parte ng ating KARAGATAN ng BATANGAS at BALAYAN BAY ay marami ng KLASE ng PANGUNAHING ISDA ay NAGLAHO na. Partikular ang isdang TULINGAN(maliit), HIWAS at HASAHASA, GALONG-GUNG, PUSIT, at MACHEREL..na dati ay saganang-sagana sa nasabi kong karagatan kung saan maraming mamamayan ang UMAASA dto.Ang aming dating PANGHANAP-BUHAY na namana pa namin sa aming mga NINUNU ang pamamaraan ay nagsibulok na(PUKOT at BASNIG)kung saan sa mga taga WAWA(batangas) LEMERY at BALAYAN ay ito kinabubuhay,at sa PUKOT naman ay taga BAUAN,LEMERY,TALISAY,CALACA at BALAYAN ang pinagkikitaan..Sa ngayon ang mga nasabi kung mga PAMALAKAYA ay UNTI-UNTI na rin naglalaho.. Resulta pagkawala ng hanapbuhay at pinagkikitaan.. SA KADAHILANANG MARAMI ANG NAG O-OVERFISHING SA MGA PASUKAN NG ISDA PATUNGONG "BATANGAS at BALAYAN BAY. GUMAGAMIT SILA NG SOBRANG LALIM AT LAKI NG LAMBAT, GAMIT AY MAKINARYA SA PANGHILA AT GINAGAMITAN NG MALIWANAG NA ILAW (wala pinagkaiba ito sa malalaking lantsa )ITO AY KUNG TAWAGIN AY "TAKSAY". MORE or LESS 60 PIRASO ANG NAG OOPERATE DYAN SA MGA "BAYBAYING NG MINDORO, LUBANG ISLAND, CALATAGAN, CAVITE to BATAAN.. KYA WALA NG MKAPASOK NA ISDA SA MGA NASABI KUNG LUGAR, KNG SAAN MRAMING MALILIIT NA MANGINGISDA ANG UMAASA.. SANA PO MABASA ITO NG ATING GALANG-GALANG NA "GOBERNADORA" AT BIGYAN NG AKSYON... SALAMAT PO at MABUHAY..

Ohtie L. Magnaye Jr.
ohtie_jr@yahoo.ca"
Sent by Email

True to the words of our compatriot, Mr. Magnaye, i witnessed how abundant these resources are during those time since i first came to Balayan in 1997 though at that time, too, the fluctuation in fishers' caught is already reigning. For five months stay in Balayan in 1997, I saw and i testify that all fishers went home with big handful of catch and most of the times, during that period, bountiful. I refer to all fishers regardless of the gears they are using. This is recorded at the Fish Stock Assessment we are introducing that time as i am working as community organizer of an NGO in the municipality. During this stay also and a year ahead of the passage of RA 8550, the federation with able assistance of CERD, the ngo, has advocated the municipality to declare the 15 kilometers municipal waters exclusive for the use of municipal fishers and prohibits commercial and illegal fishing. At the fifth month of stay i transferred to Zambales for resettlement and Mt. Pinatubo victims development work.

I came back in 2000 to continue my work as a community development worker with CERD though it is almost a phase-out program. We still continue monitoring of the resources through the implementation of Fish Stock Assessment. Each result showed continuous dwindling of fish catch and at times abscence of some of the fish species that were use to be part of the recorded catches. During this period also is the introduction of improvised fishing gears such as "Taksay", an improved purse seine using mechanical equipments and longer nets extended almost up to the seabed. Of course this gear falls under the prohibited gears in RA 8550. The introduction was made by commercial fishers of Quezon and Cavite province who were all apprehended in their places and came to Balayan Bay in lieu of their conserved fishing grounds. It was a history how the federation and the community of small fishers were able to stopped these illegal fishing. Sad to say, some of our kababayan in western Batangas have copied this gear and thus the start of feud between small fisher folks and those that can afford to have this kind of gear.

Sometime in 2002, amidst the monitoring of ANAKBALAYAN and the small fisher folk groups, Taksays caught more than a hundred fish basin weighing 45 kgs. each of hasa-hasa [yellowstriped scad, mackerel] and hiwas [moonfish, sapatero] in its assorted sizes and ages which includes juveniles of these species inside the municipal waters. According to fishworkers (nananamahan or samang-isda) on board, juveniles were thrown back dead to the sea because they have not anticipated the big volume that will be caught and have just carry less fish basins. As our Fish Stock Assessment continue, it showed no specie of hasa-hasa and hiwas caught for nearly 6 years. The specie again showed up on data recorded by randomly selected respondent fisher in 3rd quarter of last year.

During the started feud, Mr. Magnaye has come to our office and discuss matters regarding the fishery and illegal fishing. He is quite sincere in his pursuit of stopping these illegal fishery activities in the municipality of Balayan but he was leaving for abroad to work. While working in foreign lands, he sent messages to BFAR via the President's Office through net informing the rampant illegal fishing in Balayan Bay. BFAR Region IV has furnished us the copy and discussed the matters to the fishery technician who is maneuvering Bantay-Dagat as she proclaim herself as the group's coordinator but still insists that she would obey her superior. The latest updates about the group activities are that they have indeed aprehended illegal fishers from neighbor municipality Lemery two times these past two months but her superior commanded her to release them. It's a complete release without any dues or fees charged unlike other municipalities charging Balayanos due penalties when there is violation of their fishery code. The municipality of Balayan has a municipal fishery ordinance summing up the illegal fishing gears as copied from RA 8550 with its corresponding penalties all typed in bold font.

"The law is created to ensure and organized matters into a balance form where small and common citizenry without wealth, power and capacity must have stronghold of their interests...." Again, sad to say and i personally opined the law is just a bit of an ink in a paper, a literature of paper serving proof of evidence that legislators are working, a transparent framework that any strengthful can pass through, and a recipe that the cook wanted people to taste some!

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