Are you looking

[matherfish]

at pond plants for your pond this year? They are great to help get algae out of the pond because they use up lots of excess nutrients. A natural filter! One of the earliest plants people look for are water hyacinths! They give your fish that cover from the sun and herons. They provide roots for your newborn baby fish to hide in. They provide natural food for your fish as they eat on the roots. They are inexpensive and reproduce quickly. Unwanted excess plants are loaded with nutrients and are great to use as mulch in your flower beds. Just do not allow them to get into public waterways. As a bonus, you do not need to plant them, they float on top of the water! Finally, they produce beautiful blooms!  They are not legal in all states, but are legal in most states. What other uses have you found for water hyacinths?

[Bob_A]

It appears that people actually make placemats out of them.
https://www.google.com/search?q=water+hyacinth+placemats&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

Water hyacinth is one of the fastest growing plants known to man. It is a free-floating plant, rising up to one meter above the surface of the water.

In many areas, including the Mekong Delta, water hyacinth is a problem weed. When not controlled, water hyacinth will cover the waterways, having an impact on water flow and waterway access, and starving the water of oxygen, killing fish. The plants also create a prime habitat for mosquitoes.

Mekong Creations water hyacinth range uses the spongy stem of the plant in woven products such as baskets and bags. The water hyacinth is harvested and dried, changing colour from green to tan. As the women weave the strips, they push the air out of the stem, creating popping sounds as they work.

Water hyacinth is known for its soft feel and distinctive smell, reminiscent of leather and fine tobacco. Creating products from water hyacinth is part of an environmental solution to a local problem, turning a pest into an asset. Mekong Creations water hyacinth production is centred on Hau Giang province in the Mekong Delta, where the women have received government-funded training in the weaving skills, and now work with the Mekong Creations design team to create high end, quality products.

[matherfish]

Right, Bob. I did not know exactly how they did it, but I knew they made baskets and woven goods out of them.  Thanks for mentioning them. In addition to fish, I know that turtles like to eat on them.

[Bob_A]

Could be used as a replacement for hemp.
Very interesting.