Alleged illegal fish poaching at Sungei Buloh "under investigation": NParks

Nadia Jansen Hassan Channel NewsAsia 13 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: The number of illegal fishing cases across Singapore almost tripled in the last three years, from 96 in 2012, to 271 in 2014. There were 182 cases in 2013.

The National Parks Board (NParks) gave these figures after the latest case of alleged illegal fishing took place at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Sunday (Jan 11).

Photos taken by a member of nature conservation group Nature Trekker have been circulating online. He claims two groups of poachers used a net and a makeshift boat made of styrofoam to carry out the alleged activities.

NParks confirmed that "officers were alerted to an illegal fishing incident" in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Sunday. It says "the persons involved were questioned at the scene", while "the net used was also confiscated."

NParks says it is unable to provide further information, as investigations are ongoing. It has also stepped up enforcement efforts.

Said Ms Sharon Chan, Deputy Director, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, NParks: "We carry out activities to follow up on tips we have. And if they're being caught in the act, we'll follow up with a fine. And the fine for any of the offences, including removing any plants and animals from the reserve, is a maximum of S$2,000."

“Our Nature Reserves cover a large area totalling 4,000 hectares, and one of our challenges in managing them is when people conduct illegal activities such as illegal fishing and poaching in the Reserves. We conduct regular enforcement patrols against such activities, including at night, together with a group of specialised volunteers known as Nature Wardens," she added.

"“For Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve (SBWR) in particular, preventive measures are taken to address potential cases of illegal fishing. When our officers on patrol spot people outside the Reserve boundary attempting to enter the Reserve to set up nets, we work together with the police to advise them not to continue with their activities,” said Ms Chan. "Through such preventive measures, instances of illegal fishing at SBWR are low."

- CNA/ct/xy

Illegal fishing cases on the rise in Singapore’s parks, reserves

A group of individuals allegedly fishing illegally at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. PHOTO: NATURE TREKKER

XUE JIANYUE Today Online 13 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE — Cases of illegal fishing in Singapore’s parks and reserves appear to be on the rise, with the number of notices issued by the National Parks Board (NParks) for such cases tripling from 96 in 2012 to 271 last year.

Such offences make up the bulk of the poaching cases here. There were only two instances of poaching not involving fish last year and 10 in 2012.

The agency, which oversees four nature reserves and more than 300 parks, attributed the increase in the number of illegal fishing and poaching cases to increased enforcement.

The figures were provided in response to media queries over the latest case of alleged illegal fishing at the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve last Sunday.

Mr Ben Lee, founder of nature group Nature Trekker, said he saw a group of individuals on a raft in the reservoir, pulling in a large net to check for fish. He immediately alerted the park authorities.

Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve deputy director Sharon Chan said officers were deployed to the reserve and the individuals involved were questioned at the scene with the help of the police.

“The net used was also confiscated. As investigations are currently ongoing, we are unable to provide further information on the incident. We would like to remind members of the public that fishing is not permitted in Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve. Signs are prominently displayed to inform the public of this,” she said.

She added that the instances of illegal fishing at the reserve are few and far between due to the preventive measures put in place there.

“When our officers on patrol spot people outside the reserve boundary attempting to enter the reserve to set up nets, we work together with the police to advise them not to continue with their activities,” she said.

There were two cases of illegal fishing last year at Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, none in 2013 and one in 2012. The agency did not reveal the locations of other cases.

Ms Chan said the nature reserves cover 4,000ha and illegal poaching is one of the problems faced in managing them. NParks conducts regular enforcement patrols with the help of a group of volunteers called Nature Wardens.

The volunteers play an advisory role and are trained on how to approach and interact with those who conduct illegal activities.

Those who are caught are issued notices of offences. After investigations, a person may be warned or fined. Under the Parks and Trees Act, a person found guilty of removing an animal or plant from a national park or nature reserve without permission can be fined up to S$50,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both.

Mr Lee feels the authorities should act more quickly to nab poachers when a case is reported.

Illegal fishing is rampant in Singapore’s reservoirs and nature reserves, he said, although most of the cases he observed involved hook-and-line fishing. This method, while “wrong”, causes less damage to the environment, compared with the method of using nets.

“This (poacher at Sungei Buloh) throws a net and once he hauls it in, so many fish will be stuck there. He’s taking so many fish lives away,” said Mr Lee.

The loss of fish will, in turn, affect the supply of food for birds, as well as rare species, such as the saltwater crocodile and oriental smooth-coated otters, he added.

“This will affect the food chain of the overall biodiversity there,” he said. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JOY FANG

Illegal poaching cases on the rise in Singapore, NParks figures show
FENG ZENGKUN Straits Times 13 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE - Cases of illegal poaching in Singapore's parks and nature reserves appear to be on the rise, with the National Parks Board (NParks) handing out 273 notices of offences for it in 2014, up from just 106 notices in 2012.

Almost all of the notices given out in the past three years were due to illegal fishing. The poaching of other animals and plants made up just 21 out of the 570 cases in total.

NParks provided these figures on Tuesday in response to queries. It is now investigating a case of illegal fishing within the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on Sunday, which was reported by a member of the public.

It said that the people involved were questioned at the scene, and the net that they used was also confiscated. It was unable to provide more information as the investigations are ongoing.

The agency said that it conducts regular enforcement patrols against poaching, including at night, with the help of a group of trained volunteers. "When our officers on patrol spot people outside of the reserve boundary attempting to enter the reserve to set up nets, we work together with the police to advise them not to continue their activities," it said.

Under the Parks and Trees Act, anyone who removes an animal or plant from a national park or nature reserve without permission can be fined up to $50,000 or jailed for up to six months, or both, upon conviction.

3 poachers spotted fishing illegally at nature reserve
Choo Mei Fang The New Paper AsiaOne 16 Jan 15;

He's passionate about birds and frequently goes to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve to observe them.

But one thing caught Mr Ben Lee's eye last Sunday and there was nothing natural about it.

He saw three people paddling on a raft, made of what appeared to be a large piece of styrofoam, and cast a net into the water.

According to NParks, the number of people caught fishing illegally at parks and nature reserves has almost tripled in the past three years.

At around 2.30pm on Sunday, Mr Lee, 52, the founder of nature conservation and environmental group Nature Trekker, was at the nature reserve with two other volunteers from the group when he spotted the three people - two men and a woman - in the distance.

He used his camera to zoom in on them and saw that they had a paddle and a drift net.

He took several pictures of them before calling the police and telling the nature reserve employees about it.