Hook, line and a...
Grace Chua, Straits Times 13 Mar 10;
LEISURE anglers may soon have to pay for a licence before they can drop their line and bait into Singapore waters.
Local fishing groups such as the Sport Fishing Association of Singapore (SFAS) and the Gamefish and Aquatic Rehabilitation Society (Gars) are working with national water agency PUB to come up with a licensing scheme for fishing.
PUB's director of catchment and waterways, Mr Tan Nguan Sen, told The Straits Times in an e-mail: 'By controlling the number of anglers, it is hoped that the ecosystem will not be affected while sustaining sport fishing as a popular recreational activity.'
Cases of illegal fishing escalated last year. A total of 488 summons were issued, up from 399 in 2008 and 336 in 2007. Most of these were for fishing beyond designated areas and for using pollutive live bait such as chicken liver or worms.
Fishing groups say such indiscriminate fishing impacts the ecosystem, although the exact extent of the damage to fish species has not yet been studied here.
A proper licensing system, explained Gars president Tan Tien Yun, 28, would regulate the size and number of fish caught per angler.
Licensing programmes overseas often have catch-size limits. Fish that are too small must be put back and fish that are too big are those likely to breed. Usually, specific species such as salmon or bull trout require a separate licence, while other threatened species cannot be fished at all.
Currently, there are no rules on how many fish an angler can take here or of what species.
In New Zealand, a Quota Management System has been in force since 1986. The scheme controls individual fishing numbers for more than 90 different marine species, and the methods in which they are caught. Similar systems have been introduced in Australia and Canada.
Such a licensing system would mean administrative and enforcement costs for the PUB, or the agency which administers licences.
Anglers here say they are willing to pay to fish, if it means that Singapore's waters are kept clean so more fish can survive.
'It would be like buying a golf club membership,' said fishing enthusiast Saravanan Elangkovan, 34.
Anglers in Sydney can purchase a three-day licence for about A$6 (S$7.60), while a three-year licence costs A$75.
Sport fishing here has been catching on over the last few years through clubs such as the NTU Anglers' Club, Fly Fishing Club and even on online forums such as Fishing Kaki.
There are no official figures on the number of anglers here, but the Fishing Kaki forum has more than 5,000 registered members. SFAS chairman Chin Chi Khiong, 50, said more tackle shops have sprung up in recent years to meet demands.
The PUB, which manages freshwater fishing spots, has said it will open up more legal fishing areas by the second half of this year. There are now legal sites at MacRitchie, Bedok, Kranji, Upper and Lower Seletar and Lower Peirce reservoirs, and Jurong Lake.
In future, fishing will be allowed at most parts of reservoirs except in designated no-fishing zones.
Meanwhile, SFAS and Gars are trying to teach anglers to fish without harming Singapore's waters.
'We want to promote a 'we own the waters and need to take care of them' mentality - rather than exhausting fish from one area and then moving to the next one,' said Gars vice-president Yusfiandi Yatiman, 39.
The society has conducted several workshops on sustainable fishing, covering things like how to catch and release fish gently and how to use artificial lures.
But preventing overfishing will be an uphill task, said Mr Chin, adding that it is greed that drives anglers to take home more fish than they can eat. Currently, taking home one's catch is not illegal.
Mr Chin said: 'The main reason they take the fish home is to show off.'
