Goh Chin Lian Straits Times 17 Jan 10;
A group of fish farmers will fast forward a plan to form a cooperative, in the wake of a deadly plankton bloom that killed most of their stock.
The fish farmers, harnessing the strength of unity, want to pool information on the latest technology.
They may even go into business together, say, in trading seafood and to raise the profile of their industry.
The idea of a cooperative was floated in February last year, but the crisis late last month that wiped out 34 fish farms off Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin gave it a fresh push.
Fish valued at about $3 million suffocated after a spike in plankton drained the seawater of oxygen, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).
A group of 25 fish farmers - who are among the 34 affected - met yesterday in the Toa Payoh office of one of them, said their leader, fish farm owner Lee Van Voon, 43.
Other points they agreed on included a letter of appeal to Minister of National Development Mah Bow Tan, to be sent by next Friday.
They want help with restarting their farms, among other things.
Mr Lee said: 'We realised from this crisis that on our own we are very vulnerable. We've got to band together.'
They intend to submit their business plan by next week to the Registrar of Cooperative Societies.
Mr Lee expects to have about 20 fish farmers off Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin as members for a start.
He will also approach those in the West, off Lim Chu Kang, who were unaffected by the plankton bloom. There are, in all, 106 licensed coastal fish farms in Singapore.
Yesterday's meeting also raised several concerns despite the AVA's promise to help them, which it announced last Thursday.
Members of the group hope the Government will give them a grant or an interest-free loan to restart their farms.
They felt that the AVA's offer to bear the cost of disposing of the dead fish and to help them replenish their fish stocks through bulk purchases was insufficient.
They want to know what the AVA will do to prevent similar incidents and when a plan for an early-warning system will be ready.
Also on their wishlist: more information on the AVA's test results of the dead fish and seawater. Not all among them accept its explanation of a plankton bloom.
Mr Lee said these concerns would be in the appeal letter.
