The water around Punggol Jetty is black! Checks suggest the water at Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin still seem alright.
While I didn't come across many dead fishes, there were signs of many issues affecting water quality. From trash to coastal works. Please help me monitor the situation and let me know if you see any dead fishes.
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 20) 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!
A closer look at the water from Punggol Jetty. It is like kopi-O, clear but black. With a layer of fine scum. Possibly
palm oil waste? The water didn't smell good, a mild rotting smell.
I walked a short part of the shore and only saw this small dead fish.
And a small Tripodfish.
I noticed grey patches on many of the rocks.
Closer look at a grey patch. It felt crumbly and slimy. It reminds me of the patches of sponges that 'melted' during the
mass deaths at Chek Jawa in 2007. On my last low tide survey of this shore in
May 2015, we saw a lot of colourful marine life.
Some larger pieces of
palm oil waste also washed up on the shore.
Other trash on the shore includes this bag that used to contain 'Feed Additives'.
A part of a TV on the shore. Did it wash up or was it dumped here? More about the
issue of trash on our northern shores here.
This recreational shore is cleaned by an army of cheerful and dedicated cleaners. I chatted with one and he said he did not see any dead fishes today.
Despite the black water, there were a few people fishing on the jetty. I spoke to a fisherman and he said he didn't see many dead fishes. He attributed the black water to the recent rain.
From Punggol Jetty, I could see signs of activities that affect the water quality here.
Next to Punggol Jetty is Punggol Timor Island which has many heavy industries. Thanks to
Jerome Lim's post on his blog, I learned that this must be Punggol Timor and Punggol Barat islands, which are reclaimed shores. These are now used to store mountains of sand and mountains of aggregates.
At Punggol Timor, there were barges loaded with what looks like granite or sand.
As well as dorms for foreign workers and what looks like cement making facilities.
As usual, there was a line of small sampans laying fishing nets in the Johor Strait off Punggol Jetty.
A closer look at this group of people attending to a long fishing net.
On the way back, I noticed the narrow sliver of natural mangroves at Punggol was coated in a layer of bright orange clay. More in this
separate blog post.
Pasir Ris ok so far?
I also made a quick stop at Pasir Ris Park, where the water quality looks much better. The water is clear and not even the colour of teh-O.
But a blog reader had sent these photos of the water at Pasir Ris today, with a few dead wild fishes.
This is believed to be a dead wild baraccuda.
There was a lot of people at Pasir Ris. Behind them, a huge crane on a barge near the line of 'Blue Drums' security barrier.
A closer look at the crane-barge. I saw this in
Dec 2015 when I was also checking for dead fishes.
The crane-barge is quite close to a floating fish farm.
There were also many people kayaking and doing sea sports in the water.
The large group of people appear to be from an international school. Will these people be informed if there is a fish-killing plankton bloom in the water?
Pulau Ubin ok so far?
Thanks to another blog reader, this photo from the bumboat going home from Pulau Ubin today. The water colour looks ok.
You CAN make a difference: 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 20) 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!
