FRAMEWORK PROPOSAL FOR A WORLD CLASS SPORTS FISHING ENVIRONMENT IN SINGAPORE
INTRODUCTION
Sport Fishing is a healthy outdoor pursuit that promotes environmental consciousness and community interactions. Unfortunately, the current sport fishing conditions at legitimate reservoir fishing areas in Singapore are extremely deprived. Locations such as the legal fishing areas at Lower Pierce Reservoir Park and Kranji Reservoir Park had been relegated to near barren waters due to un-regulated harvesting of game fishes.
The signatories are cautiously elated when we learned of the news that more of Singapore’s freshwater reservoirs may be opened to the public for recreational activities, including sports-fishing. We naturally welcome more potential fishing locations here in Singapore. However, we are concerned that the new fishing grounds may not necessarily improve sports fishing in Singapore without an effective framework for sports fishing management policies and means for regulation enforcement.
MERITS OF PROMOTING SPORT-FISHING IN SINGAPORE
Unlike the conventional notion of fishing where the objective is to harvest maximum amount of fishes, sports fishing employs definitive fishing tackle to target game fish in a sporting manner. Sports fishermen enjoy the activity for the outdoor environment and sporting pursuit of game fish. A rational sport fisherman always preserves and protects environmental resources to ensure sports fishing quality for the future. Some describe sports fishing as “contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations .”
Promote Environmental Consciousness & Conservation
INTRODUCTION
Sport Fishing is a healthy outdoor pursuit that promotes environmental consciousness and community interactions. Unfortunately, the current sport fishing conditions at legitimate reservoir fishing areas in Singapore are extremely deprived. Locations such as the legal fishing areas at Lower Pierce Reservoir Park and Kranji Reservoir Park had been relegated to near barren waters due to un-regulated harvesting of game fishes.
The signatories are cautiously elated when we learned of the news that more of Singapore’s freshwater reservoirs may be opened to the public for recreational activities, including sports-fishing. We naturally welcome more potential fishing locations here in Singapore. However, we are concerned that the new fishing grounds may not necessarily improve sports fishing in Singapore without an effective framework for sports fishing management policies and means for regulation enforcement.
MERITS OF PROMOTING SPORT-FISHING IN SINGAPORE
Unlike the conventional notion of fishing where the objective is to harvest maximum amount of fishes, sports fishing employs definitive fishing tackle to target game fish in a sporting manner. Sports fishermen enjoy the activity for the outdoor environment and sporting pursuit of game fish. A rational sport fisherman always preserves and protects environmental resources to ensure sports fishing quality for the future. Some describe sports fishing as “contemplative, misanthropic, scientific in some hands, poetic in others, and laced with conflicting aesthetic considerations .”
Promote Environmental Consciousness & Conservation
The promotion of sports fishing would naturally implies a larger population of Sports Fishermen in Singapore. As vindicated in worldwide trends, sports fishermen tends to consciously protects and conserves the environment and their sports fishing resources to ensure a continuous avenue of sporting pursuit. Hence, promotion of sports fishing in Singapore will invariable create a greater sense of ownership in our population to enjoy and protect our environment and water resources.
Promote Sporting Lifestyle & Community Interactions
Promote Sporting Lifestyle & Community Interactions
Sports fishing is an outdoor activity that can be enjoyed by all socio-economical levels of society and by all communities. The promotion of sports fishing can potentially serve not only to enhance community interactions, but also to galvanise a segment of our younger urban generation towards a more sporting and outdoors oriented lifestyle.
AIM
This paper aims to propose a policy framework and regulations that will contribute towards building a sustainable sports fishing environment in Singapore.
VISION
Our vision of the Singapore sports-fishing environment is that of a sustainable tropical sports fishing locale consisting of our freshwater reservoirs and in-land water ways that can facilitate year round sports fishing activities of world class standards for all Singaporeans and Tourists.
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS FOR SPORTS FISHERY
Sustenance of Game Fish Population
AIM
This paper aims to propose a policy framework and regulations that will contribute towards building a sustainable sports fishing environment in Singapore.
VISION
Our vision of the Singapore sports-fishing environment is that of a sustainable tropical sports fishing locale consisting of our freshwater reservoirs and in-land water ways that can facilitate year round sports fishing activities of world class standards for all Singaporeans and Tourists.
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS FOR SPORTS FISHERY
Sustenance of Game Fish Population
It is imperative to sustain a variety of game fish populations in our reservoirs to facilitate quality sports fishing. Adequate fish populations with high sporting qualities that are ecologically compatible with our local environment needs to be introduced and managed to provide continuous fishing resources.
Availability of Sport Fishing Areas
Availability of Sport Fishing Areas
All our current and future fresh water reservoirs are innate sport fishing and fish hatchery areas. More extent of these reservoirs needs to be made available for sports fishing activities. No additional infrastructure investment is required in addition to existing ones to accommodate sports fishermen. The existing reservoirs shorelines are well maintained and may serve as the Primary Access for sports fishermen to the reservoirs. Moreover, limited number of un-powered water-crafts may serve as the Secondary Access to the reservoirs in order to fully optimise the available fishing areas of the reservoirs. The signatories of this paper concluded that the existing practice of constructing jetties on reservoirs are NOT a cost effective means to facilitate access to sports fishing area.
KEY ENABLING FACTORS
Balanced Attrition & Rejuvenation of Game Fish Population
KEY ENABLING FACTORS
Balanced Attrition & Rejuvenation of Game Fish Population
The pool of game fish resources can only be sustained if the attrition due to fishing pressure & natural causes are balanced by population rejuvenation via natural reproduction and maintenance stocking if required.
Minimise Attrition
Minimise Attrition
Any Game fish is too precious a resource to be used only once. Harvesting and killing of game fishes should be controlled to minimise attrition due to fishing pressure. This may be achieved through enforcement of Catch & Release or bag limit regulations. Moreover, low cost fish habitat such as aquatic plants and underwater structure and may be used to minimise natural attrition of game fish.
Maximise Rejuvenation
Maximise Rejuvenation
The most cost effective means to rejuvenate game fish populations is for the fish to reproduce naturally in our reservoir environment. This is an important criteria for game fish species selection to be introduced into our reservoirs. We also need to ascertain the ecological cycle can be sustained by the provision of a healthy bait fish population for the game fish to feed on. These bait fishes may then sustain themselves through aquatic plants or insets & crustaceans. An appropriate period of closed fishing season may also need to be instituted for some Game Fish species to ensure that breeding activities will not be disrupted. Appropriate parts of the reservoirs must also be identified as game fish hatchery where fishing activities are prohibited to ensure the rejuvenation process. If natural rejuvenation is disrupted for whatever reasons, maintenance stocking will be required to balance attrition to the population.
Simultaneous application of the above 2 strategies had been proven to be effective in established game fisheries such as Australia, The US and Canada. Strict enforcement of Catch & Release or Bag Limit regulations coupled with appropriate fish population rejuvenation program, is a key element to sustain high quality game fishing activities. A list of guidelines and principals are proposed in Annex A.
Access to Reservoirs Fishing Areas
Simultaneous application of the above 2 strategies had been proven to be effective in established game fisheries such as Australia, The US and Canada. Strict enforcement of Catch & Release or Bag Limit regulations coupled with appropriate fish population rejuvenation program, is a key element to sustain high quality game fishing activities. A list of guidelines and principals are proposed in Annex A.
Access to Reservoirs Fishing Areas
Sports fishermen need free access to these reservoir fishing areas via the shore lines for fishing activities. Exceptions may apply to restricted or hazardous zones such as water pumping & treatment facilities, hatchery areas, or area of high human traffic due to other recreational activities. Un-powered water crafts may be made available to sports fishermen on a hire basis. These water-crafts may be commercially maintained and operated to ensure economic sustainability and provide control mechanism for safety requirements.
Credible Means for Regulation Enforcement
Credible Means for Regulation Enforcement
The fishing opportunities provided by the above elements are predisposed to abuse and misuse if there are no credible means to enforce fundamental regulations. Lessons learnt by mature sport fisheries in the US and Australia illustrated that strict penal code prescribing stiff penalties such as fines and jail sentences, coupled by vigilant enforcement by a well trained fishery ranger outfit are essential elements to maintain a vibrant sports fishery.
Hear Feedback From Local Sports Fishing Community
Hear Feedback From Local Sports Fishing Community
It is important to constantly consider the feedback from local sports fishing community to ensure the up-keeping of sports fishing quality is Singapore.
CONCLUSIONS
The promotion of Sports Fishing in Singapore will help to cultivate environmental consciousness and ownership of our inland waterways among Singaporeans. Proliferation of Sports Fishing will also encourage social interactions among Singaporeans that transcends social-economical levels and among different communities. However, the existing policies and regulation to manage sports fishing resources in Singapore was proven to be unsustainable. Singapore, with its network of reservoirs and inland waterways has the potential to be a World Class sports fishing locale if appropriate policies and management methodology proposed in this paper are applied.
RECOMMENDATION
The Signatories recommend that the Ministry of Environment & Water Resources and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports jointly implement the policies and management methodology outlined in this paper to promote a sustainable sports fishing environment in Singapore.
CONCLUSIONS
The promotion of Sports Fishing in Singapore will help to cultivate environmental consciousness and ownership of our inland waterways among Singaporeans. Proliferation of Sports Fishing will also encourage social interactions among Singaporeans that transcends social-economical levels and among different communities. However, the existing policies and regulation to manage sports fishing resources in Singapore was proven to be unsustainable. Singapore, with its network of reservoirs and inland waterways has the potential to be a World Class sports fishing locale if appropriate policies and management methodology proposed in this paper are applied.
RECOMMENDATION
The Signatories recommend that the Ministry of Environment & Water Resources and the Ministry of Community Development, Youth & Sports jointly implement the policies and management methodology outlined in this paper to promote a sustainable sports fishing environment in Singapore.
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