Lots of dead farm fishes washed up at Lim Chu Kang today. Lots also washed up at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve.
At Lim Chu Kang, I saw Veolia workers working hard to remove the large number of fishes.
When I arrived, I noticed three Veolia trucks parked near the jetty, and lots of yellow trash bags on the high water mark.
The bags contained dead farmed fishes, the same kind that have been washing up
since Friday.
There were five people busy cleaning up the high water line of dead fishes.
Lots of dead fishes piled up along the high water mark.
The line of washed up dead fishes went all the way into the mangroves.
The line of dead fishes continued into the mangroves, following the high water mark.
Here's a snapshot of the fishes washed up on the high water mark.
The fishes seem to have been dead for a while, but quite recently. Some still had their eyes, but their tails were already tattered.
Most didn't have bloated bodies or popping out scales, which happen as the fishes start to decompose.
I saw only a few fishes on the low water mark and didn't see any floating in the water.
There seems to be a dark film (algae?) growing on the banks of the stream in the mangrove. Similar to what I saw at Sungei Buloh Main Bridge yesterday.
As usual, there is all kinds of trash associated with fishing such as abandoned fishing nets and baskets.
As I left, the Veolia workers were still halfway through their job. They were friendly and diligent in their work.
There is a new tank (different tank number from yesterday) and it is not full and it doesn't smell as if there are any dead fishes in it.
There are about 60 floating fish farms near Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Buloh. These are all licenced by AVA who ostensibly regulate farming practices. The yellow line along the Johor Strait is the international boundary between Singapore and Malaysia.
Have these dead fishes reached Sungei Buloh too?
Sadly, yes. At Sungei Buloh, the boom had been deployed to stop the dead fishes from floating deeper into the Reserve. It is heartbreaking to see that NParks has to work extra hard to protect our Reserves simply because fish farms do not dispose of dead fishes responsibly.
Lots of dead fishes had also floated up at Sungei Buloh's western shoreline.
This round of dead fish seems a lot more than
the one that I saw on Friday.
Wouldn't it be better for the environment, and save manpower and cleanup costs, if our coastal fish farms were provided a way to responsibly dispose of their trash?
Once again, I would like to highlight that the authorities should work together to provide all fish farmers a practical and reasonable way to accommodate their trash needs. Today, every business and household on the mainland and every ship parked in port is provided with daily door-to-door trash collection. But all coastal fish farms licenced by AVA are NOT provided with a similar service.
Dead Fish Alert!
Please help me monitor dead fishes washing up on the Johor Straits. Please let me know if you see large numbers (more than 10) especially of large dead fishes (more than 20cm long) washing up on the northern shores such as Pulau Ubin, Lim Chu Kang, Sungei Buloh, Kranji, Sembawang, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi.
Thank you!
