As we approach conditions ideal for a plankton bloom, I checked out Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the Western Johor Strait for signs of mass fish death.
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, Woodlands Waterfront, Sembawang, Punggol, Lorong Halus, Pasir Ris, Changi.
There are about 60 fish farms licenced by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) located here. The yellow line along the Johor Strait is the international boundary between Singapore and Malaysia. The mangroves and mudflats of Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Buloh provide ecosystem services such as maintaining good water quality.
The Lim Chu Kang Jetty is used by fishermen and the area nearby for their trash disposal in a large skip tank and smaller bulk bin. Today, everything was super neat and tidy.
There is a rest area near the jetty with an altar. It is very neat and tidy today.
The shore near the jetty had not much litter today.
This is what it looked like in Mar 2015.
Further into the mangroves nearby, I notice the many structures on the high shore (which I was told was used by fish farms and fishermen to store their stuff) are no longer there.
This is what it looked like in Mar 2015.
I did not see (or smell) any dead fishes on the shores. But there were still some bags that look like they come from the fish farms: from fish feed and bulk ingredients for making fish meal.
Here's a video showing the neat and tidy jetty area, but still large litter in the mangroves.
I saw an AVA van and a DHI vehicle nearby. Perhaps there is some kind of official visit to the fish farms?
The mangroves of Lim Chu Kang and Sungei Buloh help to keep the water healthy. Their ecosystem services will become even more important as the natural shores on the Johor side is being developed. There is massive reclamation on the Johor side of the Strait, near the Singapore fish farms.
On the Singapore side of the Western Johor Strait, there are many heavy industries such as the Sarimbun Industrial Park with mountains of stuff piled on their property.
How is the situation at Sungei Buloh?
I had a brief stop at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and checked the Coastal Trail for dead fishes. I only saw a few small ones and one large dead catfish that looked like it just died.
It has been so hot lately that the mud is cracking even during the brief low tide.
The forecast for the rest of March is super hot weather that may reach 36degC and below-normal rainfall. These will create great conditions for a plankton bloom that kills fish and marine life.
I was glad to see much wildlife in the mangroves. Prints of birds feeding along the mud bank of the stream.
Quarrelsome egrets feeding on the shore.
It appears some of the birds have their fluffy breeding plumage!
A visitor pointed out a little Estuarine crocodile hunting under the bridge!
Here's a video clip of the crocodile.
Other hunters are out and about in the mangroves. There were many Golden Orb-web spiders and this one seems to have caught some kind of beetle.
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 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, Woodlands Waterfront, Sembawang, Punggol, Lorong Halus, Pasir Ris, Changi.
There are too many shores for me to personally check, so I really appreciate any info or photos that you can share.
