Patwant Singh Channel NewsAsia 27 Apr 13;
SINGAPORE: Fishing has been a regular hobby among Singaporeans, but now sport fishing is catching on too.
More Singaporeans are getting into it apparently, going by the jump in sales of recreational-sized speedboats.
About 950 were sold in 2012, up from 750 in 2011.
Enthusiasts fish as far as the waters off Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Many of them also share their big catches on YouTube.
Those who take the sport seriously are snapping up boats. The Singapore Yacht Show has seen the strongest sales for such boats in the last three years.
On the downside, those in the fraternity lament the dwindling number of sport fishing sites in Singapore.
Boat skipper Mohammad Mus Mulyad said: "We still do fishing small time fishing. We go nearby to Sentosa, maybe St John's island, and maybe Lazarus island near to Kusu but most of the space that we have is not enough for us to fish, most of them are complaining."
Despite the various limitations, those in the fraternity feel that this sport still has a bright future even among the young. On any given weekend, up to 40 to 50 boats can be seen around Singapore indulging in sport fishing.
- CNA/xq
