halus wetlands lechate fishing @ Jan2012

Was at the new Halus Wetlands (it opened less than a year ago in March 2011) and joined quite a few people appreciating the ambience of the wetlands. PUB has done a wonderful job creating the wetlands.

“The Lorong Halus Wetland will provide a new space for members of the public to enjoy not just the tranquility and greenery of the wetland, but also the new habitat that this wetland has created for birds, butterflies, dragonflies and other wildlife,” said Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterways. “We hope that through this site, the public will understand the functions of the wetland, be drawn closer to water and in their own way help to keep the water clean.”

However, there were quite a few people fishing there. In the words of a fisherman, "there are no signs what!".  Well, there were no signs at the pond itself but there was a prohibitory sign at the far corner of the wetlands which did not see many visitors. Some things are beyond everyday comprehension!

There were also people with full loaves of bread...also fishing....i.e. feeding the fish with bread.

Note that the flour in white bread is often bleached using potassium bromate or chlorine dioxide gas. I suppose if it is safe enough for human consumption, then it should be ok for fish...maybe. The fish were certainly enjoying it. And besides, there are no signs restricting the feeding what!

Fish living in treated lechate water could not possibly complain about stuffing themselves with bleached white bread.

Everyone thought that one of the fishermen who was using a bigass artificial lure had finally caught the  whopper he deserved in the treated lechate water pond....only to realise that he had got his line caught on the lotus plants lining the pond. It took some considerable effort but in the end, he managed to yank the line free. Of course there was some collateral damage to the plants ... but well, ... there are no signs what!

(Alas, even if there were signs ...who would stop them?)

I wonder what PUB's position is on fishing at the treated lechate water pond.

Is it allowed? Is it safe? Are the fish OK to eat?

If the fish are not safe to eat, then perhaps PUB should quickly put up signs to alert visitors 

not to fish at the treated lechate water pond.  

P.s. a No-Smoking restriction would also be a good idea as there were already a lot of ciggarette butts lining the pond edge.

You might ask...what is lechate?

Have a look here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leachate

Now that you know what lechate is about, would you want to eat any fish from a treated lechate water pond?

Some links about the Halus Wetlands :

http://www.ura.gov.sg/pr/text/2011/pr11-25.html

http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2011/03/lorong-halus-wetland-nature-lovers-get.html

http://wondercreation.blogspot.com/2011/05/first-look-at-lorong-halus-wetland.html

http://waterqualityinsingapore.blogspot.com/2011/04/latest-wetland-craze-lorong-halus.html

Labrador No-Fishing Fishing Check - Jan2012

Are the no fishing signs at Labrador Park and Nature Reserve being followed?

uh, it's a family affair ... mum & 2 sons right beside the formerly 'no' fishing sign ...

(mum was grumbly after she was politely reminded that it was a 'no-fishing' zone. They were slow to pack up but did so after they were politely reminded of the two signs.

There are two prohibitory signs at the lookout point. 

One on the railing and the other high up the lampost above the circular float.

 The more accessible one on the guardrail had some modification done to it by an anonymous hand ... wonder if the prohibition is obvious to all who may be capable of making the right sense

of it through all the fishing lines. Some reading between the lines required (pun intended). 

No matter ...

... if you can't fish on one side, you can always try the other side... 

it all depends on how far you can throw your line.

 but why bother with moving away when you can stay put 

assured that no one will ever give you a ticket

This guy was at the main promenade (no apparent fishing prohibition) and had what seemed to be the longest and biggest rod and he had an unusual technique which required a lot of space ...wonder if he hit any ships? He did not seem to catch anything though. 

The vid clip shows another fisherman in the background with a green sun hat who narrowly misses another park visitor when he carelessly swings his fishing rod's line in the direction of the passing visitor. Good thing the visitor was keeping a proper lookout and avoided the recoiling line, hook and weight in the nick of time.

That's not the whole story ... is there more?

what is left behind during or after all that fishing?

carelessly disposed packaging

discarded bait bags etc waiting for the wind to blow them into the sea

 bait bits ...  stale flesh

discarded line ... no tripping please

 zipties used to hold the rods to the rail

 more discarded packaging

dead fish ... prize or bait?

 sargassum seaweed gets pulled up by many a fisherman
and who dispose of the seaweed on the seawall and sometimes on the footway

 some fishermen occupy the entire viewing platform and make use of the benches for bait preparation

 rod holders secured to the guardrails ... Some guardrails appear to have been damaged by such abnormal use of them.

 more discarded line

 discarded zipties

 more tape and plastic used to secure the rods left behind after the fishermen pack up and leave

another bait preparation park bench 

a wall display ... hmm......

another wall display ... hmm hmm ...



nil desperandum ... C'est la vie

UPDATE :

Relevant recent forum letters :

http://wildsingaporenews.blogspot.com/2012/01/anglers-on-newly-opened-berlayar-and.html 

- - -


The prompt response from NParks! Hooray!

Good that NParks is stepping up patrols!

driftnet fishing @ terumbu semakau 05June2011

Came across a driftnet (sometimes called a gill net as it usually catches fish by the gills) on Terumbu Semakau. There was an amazing variety of fish caught in the long net which was at least 100m long stretching across from one end of the reef to the other. The video clip shows a selection of fish (and one flower crab) seen over about a 35m stretch of the driftnet.

The fishermen and their boat were closeby and were quick to pick up the catch in a styrofoam box. They must have set up the net quite a few hours earlier before the tide went out. The outgoing tide would have caught fish trying to escape from being stranded on the reef as it got more exposed. The reef had patches of Enhalus seagrass which would have provided a good refuge for smaller fish to hide from larger predatory fish.

Unfortunately, the long net also caught on to coral and sponges as well. The swaying of the net in the water could cause serious damage to corals and sponges. Any hard pull could tear off parts from soft coral and sponges. The area is also well known for its wild dolphins and resident sea turtles. Recently also, there were signs of possible dugong feeding trails at the Semakau seagrass lagoon. These animals face the risk of getting caught in the long driftnets.

After collecting the catch on the terumbu, the fishermen boated over to Semakau itself to continue their collection from another long net placed along the seawall on the foreshore.

Read also the Wildshores blogpost about the net :
http://wildshores.blogspot.com/2011/06/long-driftnet-traps-many-colourful.html