AVA helping fish farmers affected by plankton bloom off Pasir Ris, Pulau Ubin

Mustafa Shafawi, 938LIVE Channel NewsAsia 14 Jan 10;

SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is extending help to the 34 fish farms off Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin affected by the plankton bloom last month.

The agency said it's bearing the cost of disposal of the dead fish.

It's also linking farmers up with reputable suppliers of good quality frys so that the farmers can explore bulk purchasing to reduce cost of restocking.

AVA is also continuing with on-site monitoring at the farms to monitor water conditions as well as providing technical advice to the farmers.

In addition, it'll work with the farmers to formulate contingency plans to prepare for similar situations.

This includes putting in place appropriate aeration systems and sourcing for insurance coverage.

AVA will also work with the relevant experts to identify potential triggers for plankton bloom.

It will carry out research and development to explore technological solutions and develop an early warning system.

AVA has informed the farmers of these measures.

It will be working closely with them to ensure their operations can resume as soon as possible.

The farmers affected reported losing about 400,000 fish to the plankton bloom.

This accounts for about 0.5 per cent of Singapore's overall fish consumption. - 938LIVE/vm

Fish farmers receive support from AVA
Today Online 15 Jan 10;

SINGAPORE - The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has stepped in with some help for fish farmers hard hit by last month's plankton bloom at Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin.

It is offering to bear the cost of disposing the dead fish, which numbered some 400,000 according to the 34 affected fish farms. It will also link farmers up with "reputable suppliers of good quality fry so that farmers can explore bulk purchasing to reduce cost of restocking", said the AVA which, going forward, will develop an early warning system against a repeat of the incident.

Some farmers had called on the Government to help them financially defray their losses and replenish their stocks.

The AVA, however, noted that plankton blooms - which can happen very quickly under certain conditions, such as a combination of sudden shifts in weather, land nutrients washed into the sea and little water exchange from rising and ebbing tides - are "part of the risks associated with farming".

Nevertheless, it would help in some ways, including continuing to monitor water conditions on-site and giving the farmers technical advice.

The AVA will also work with them to formulate contingency plans for similar situations in the future, such as putting in place appropriate aeration systems and sourcing for insurance coverage.

In addition, it will work with experts to identify potential triggers for plankton bloom, explore technological solutions to the potential risks of aquaculture production, and develop an early warning system.

"AVA has informed the farmers of these measures and will be working closely with them to facilitate resumption of operations as soon as possible," said the authority in a statement.


Fish farmers not back on their feet
Straits Times 15 Jan 10;

THE waters off north-east Singapore may have returned to normal following an overgrowth of plankton late last month, but life has yet to get back to normal for the farmers who lost their fish stocks as a result.

Many fish farmers contacted yesterday said they were struggling to raise the cash to buy new fish fry to make a fresh start of their businesses.

Some help is on the way.

Yesterday, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said it was taking several measures to help get the affected fish farmers back on their feet.

It will bear the cost of disposal of the dead fish and help the farmers buy good-quality fish fry at low cost through bulk purchases.

It will also continue monitoring the water and provide technical advice.

Expert help is also being sought to develop an early-warning system to try to avoid similar incidents in future, as well as to carry out research, develop technological solutions, and identify the triggers for plankton blooms.

Most farmers said that although this help was welcome, what they now needed most was financial aid to restart their operations.

Mr Phillip Lim, whose farm a kilometre offshore lost thousands of fish in waters starved of oxygen because of the plankton bloom, says he just does not have the money to buy new fish fry.

Others are determined to carry on the trade.

Mr James Low, 53, whose farm is about 3km off Pasir Ris Beach, has pumped in $10,000 to purchase 7,300 sea bass and 3,000 garoupa fry to restart his farm.

He said it would take at least six to nine months before the fish matured and were ready to go to market.

The bloom killed about 400,000 fish at over 30 fish farms off Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin.

That number, said the AVA, is equivalent to 0.5per cent of the overall fish consumed here.

LIM WEI CHEAN

Followup Measures for Fish Farmers Affected by Plankton Bloom
AVA media release (PDF) 14 Jan 10;

The incidence of plankton bloom at Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin in late
December 2009 resulted in 34 fish farms off Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin reporting
losses of about 400,000 fish. This accounts for about 0.5% of overall fish
consumption.
2 Investigations showed that the cause was due to plankton bloom.
Plankton blooms can happen very quickly under certain conditions. For
example, a combination of factors like sudden shifts in the weather between
bouts of sunshine and heavy rain; nutrients from the land washed into the sea
by the rain; and little water exchange from rising and ebbing tides.
3 Such adverse conditions are part of the risks associated with farming,
especially in the sea. Nevertheless, AVA is helping farmers that were affected
by the plankton bloom by :
i. Bearing the cost of disposal of the dead fish;
ii. Linking farmers up with reputable suppliers of good quality frys so
that farmers can explore bulk purchasing to reduce cost of
restocking;
iii. Continuing with on-site monitoring at the farms to monitor water
conditions; and
iv. Providing technical advice to the farmers.
4 In addition, AVA will work with the farmers to formulate contingency
plans to prepare for similar situations including putting in place appropriate
aeration systems and sourcing for insurance coverage. AVA will also work with
the relevant experts to :
i. Identify potential triggers for plankton bloom;
ii. Carry out research and development to explore technological
solutions to address potential risks of aquaculture production; and
iii. Develop an early warning system.
5 AVA has informed the farmers of these measures and will be working
closely with them to facilitate resumption of operations as soon as possible.