Straits Times Forum 9 Nov 09;
I WAS walking along Boat Quay last Monday at about 1pm when I noticed what appeared to be a steel 'coffin' in front of a seafood restaurant.
It was clearly a security device covering the fish and crab tanks underneath. What drew my attention was a large dead fish lying against the glass. I then noticed other dead fish and others barely alive, clearly distressed and gasping for air. When I touched the steel tank lid, it was very hot. This meant the fish inside were not only deprived of oxygen, but were also being slowly 'broiled' to death.
No one was around, so I went inside and found a woman, kitted out as a cook. When I drew her attention to the problem, she became very defensive and said: 'I must speak to the boss.' She went to the next restaurant, I assumed, to fetch her 'boss', but several Chinese men appeared instead.
I pointed out the horrific situation to them, telling them of the cruelty and hygiene issues involved. When I took out my mobile phone to take a photo of the tank, everyone became agitated, shouting that I could not do so. One man, in particular, became aggressive, and he and another man pushed me away as I tried to take a photo.
When one of the men unlocked and removed the tank lid, there were several dead fish and seemingly dead crabs inside. He immediately removed them and shooed me away. I refused to leave and took a couple more photos. The tank water was disgusting. Not only were there the dead and dying fish, but the water stank, was stagnant and polluted with fish faeces.
My concerns are these:
- The poor fish were clearly kept in cruel and insanitary conditions.
- What happened to the dead animals? Did they subsequently appear in some unsuspecting person's lunch?
- If conditions in a tank on public display were so appalling, and the owners clearly did not care, what were conditions like in the kitchen, which customers do not see?
- When I tried to find a phone number of a health and hygiene authority to call to complain, I could not find one and still cannot.
I sit as a member of the management committee of the Institute of Service Excellence at Singapore Management University. I am part of the management group that supervises the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore. After last Monday's experience, I am not surprised customer satisfaction scores have declined.
Mark Grieves
Dead fish in eatery's tank due to air supply failure: NEA
Straits Times Forum 20 Nov 09;
WE REFER to the Forum Online letter "Dead fish under steel 'coffin' at Boat Quay eatery" (Nov 9).
We thank Mr Mark Grieves for his feedback. Our investigations into the feedback revealed that the air pumps to the fish tanks used to keep live fish and crabs had failed due to an electrical fault. This resulted in a few fish dying and the water turning murky.
When informed, the operator of the eatery quickly disposed of the dead fish and cleaned up the tanks. When our officers visited the outlet, the fish tanks were found to be clean and well kept.
S. Satish Appoo
Director
Environmental Health Department
National Environment Agency
