The Effect of Bayati (Anamirta cocculus L.) on Damselfish (Pomacentrus coelestis L.)

Abstract

For many decades, the people of Pagsanjan Laguna have used the Bayati fruit in catehing fishes from the Pagsanjan River. Ripe fruits of the plant were dried, crushed, mixed with earthworms and thrown into the river. This paper aims to study the action and effect of this fruit on a fish living in the marine biome, particularly, damselfish. After mixing traditionally prepared Bayati fruit powder with dried ground shrimps and making it into a paste, this was fed to the fishes. It was observed that the fishes showed great distress and disorientation before dying shortly afterwards. This was mainly due to the picrotoxin content of the Bayati fruit. Picrotoxin is occasionally used as a drug depressant among humas, an overdose of which is lethal.