4 hot
thesundaytimes July 5, 2009
Angling for a catch
Canals running through
neighbourhod estates can
yield a surprising harvest
for anglers
Yusuf Abdol Hamid
W
hen security officer Andre
Lim wants to eat seafood,
he heads for the canal near
his Bishan HDB flat, a
10-minute stroll away.
Armed with a rod, hook and line, he usu-
ally does not have to wait more than 15
minutes before he reels in something suita-
ble for dinner.
He has caught varieties such as tilapia,
haruan and catfish.
“Once I caught two eels, which my wife
made into a tasty Japanese-style dinner,”
he says. The 49-year-old has been fishing
since he was five.
Amateur fishermen like Mr Lim are find-
ing that canals in neighbourhoods such as
Pasir Ris, Clementi, Jurong, Kallang and Ro-
chor can yield a rich harvest of fish. The ca-
nals are located near HDB and residential
estates.
A spokesman for the Public Utilities
Board, whose responsibilties include the
water that runs through canals and drains,
advises the public against entering the ca-
nals as they are prone to sudden rapid
flows and rising water levels during heavy
and intense rain.
Many of the city fishermen can be
found on fishingkaki.com, a local website
which boasts a membership of almost
30,000. It was launched in 2004.
On the site, they post pictures of them-
selves with their catch, some of which are
bigger than their torsos. Here, anglers also
share the best fishing locations.
One of them, Mr Terry Wang, 23, and
his 50-year-old father have been fishing in
the canal opposite Jurong Primary School
for the last 10 years.
The ST Logistics officer says: “It requires
a lot of patience to fish. I do it mostly to ac-
company my father and to relax.”
His most impressive catch was a 6kg
snakehead, or “toman” as it is more com-
manly known here.
Unlike Mr Lim, Mr Wang does not eat
the fish he catches. He releases them back
into the canal. “This preserves the fish pop-
ulation and allows them to grow.”
Mr Roy Phua and his 14-year-old son
also fish for leisure.
The 50-year-old Civil Defence officer,
who fishes at a canal in Clementi, says that
it is a good way to spend time with his son.
He adds: “We usually catch nothing. It’s
really just about enjoying the activity.”
Mr Davy Ong, who owns a fishing tack-
le shop in Bussorah Street, says he has
fished at nearly every drain and canal in
Singapore.
The 35-year-old says: “The most unex-
pected place was a drain next to Somerset
MRT, where I caught a big tilapia. People
just stared at me in disbelief.”
But he bemoans the fact that local an-
glers have fewer fish to catch and fewer
places to catch them at.
He estimates that there are about 20 le-
gal fishing spots.
Furthermore, he says, foreign workers
trying to catch their meals contribute to
the problem of overfishing.
According to him, once the fish popula-
tion is wiped out at a location, it takes four
to five years for the fish to return.
ST PHOTOS: SHAHRIYA YAHAYA
Ms Beatrice Wee (top in picture
above) scaling new heights on the
indoor climbing wall (left) at
Orchard Central mall.
Fishing
spots
Where: Lower Seletar Canal, Nee
Soon Road
What you can find: Giant snakehead,
peacock bass and featherback
Where: Jurong Canal, junction of
Jurong Canal Drive and Jurong East
Avenue 1
What you can find: Giant snakehead,
carp and tilapia
Where: Sungei Tampines, runs along
Pasir Ris Town Park
What you can find: Barramundi,
barracuda and garoupa
Where: Rochor Canal, opposite Sim
Lim Square, along Rochor Canal Road
What you can find: Tilapia and
luohan
Anglers are also losing fishing spots to
urbanisation, as areas get walled off or cov-
ered by construction projects.
Mr Ong used to fish at a drain near Te-
ban Gardens, where he says he was able to
find some varieties unique to the area.
Shaking his head, he says: “One day, I
went there with my friend and found that
the drain has been replaced by a construc-
tion site.”
yhamid@sph.com.sg
Driven up the wall in the mall
Magdalen Ng
Finance executive Beatrice Wee spent last
Wednesday night perched on top of a
30m-high wall in the heart of Orchard
Road.
Below her, shoppers sat in a cafe and
sipped their coffee, unaware of the drama
that was happening on the wall high
above them.
Ms Wee, who is in her
30s, was trying out the
latest attraction in town “Maybe they could serve
– the world’s tallest in- ice-cold champagne and
door climbing wall
which is on the fourth strawberries at the top to
storey of new mall Or- celebrate our success.”
chard Central.
MS BEATRICE WEE on successfully scaling
The “novice with jelly the world’s tallest indoor climbing wall
arms”, as she described in Orchard Central
herself, took an hour to
reach the top.
“The view from the top was exhilarat-
ing. I felt a sense of accomplishment. I kept
asking myself if I really climbed this high!”
Ms Wee, who was in a sleeveless top,
yoga pants and sports shoes, did not
have to wear any special gear except a
harness. It comes with a special device
called a Via Ferrata set, which comprises
two carabiners that are attached to iron
cables on the wall.
ST PHOTOS: YUSUF ABDOL HAMID
The deep-fried chromide which was caught in a canal was perfectly edible.
Canal fish taste test
Are canal fish edible? LifeStyle finds out.
A 20cm pearl-spot chromide, a relative
of the tilapia, was caught in the Kallang ca-
nal and frozen overnight. The next morn-
ing, it was taken to the kitchen of culinary
consultant Violet Oon, where her chef and
events executive, 29-year-old Joe Heng,
cooked the fish.
He said canal fish might have a
“muddy’’ smell so he deep-fried the fish
and garnished it with fried garlic. He also
prepared a Thai-style dipping sauce of fish
oil, chopped chilli padi and shallots.
LifeStyle food reviewer Wong Ah Yoke
Via Ferrata means “iron way’’ in Italian
and refers to a traditional mountaineering
activity in Europe where climbers ascend
mountains that have been fitted with ca-
bles.
In Singapore, the Via Ferrata wall has
iron rungs which climbers can use in their
ascent. A trip to the top costs from $30 to
$35 and will take slightly less than two
hours, including a safety briefing and prep-
aration.
More than 100
people have made it
to the top of the wall
since its opening in
May.
Rock climbing
has become popular
among young people
and many schools
have their own rock
walls.
At Orchard Central, climbers who reach
the top can either abseil down or cross over
via a linkway to the mall and take the lift
down.
For those who are uncomfortable about
climbing in public, Ms Wee says that once
on the wall, you soon forget about all that.
“Once you start climbing, you focus
completely on making sure all the safety
PHOTO: DAVY ONG
Mr Davy Ong (above and left) with a haruan,
or local snakehead, caught at the Lower
Seletar Canal. He starts fishing around 7am,
when the fish are still feeding.
ate the fish and said it did not taste any dif-
ferent from other fish.
He said: “I expected the fish to taste a bit
muddy, but it did not. I’m glad Joe fried the
fish as opposed to steaming.”
He said that while steaming would have
brought out the smoothness of the flesh, it
might also bring out the muddy smell of
the fish.
Overall, Mr Wong pronounced that the
fish was perfectly edible and tasted normal.
But he added: “I wouldn’t eat it regular-
ly, though. Who knows how clean the wa-
ter is?”
precautions are in place, where to place
your next step, and of course holding on,”
she says.
Mr Poh Yu Seung, general manager of
BorderX, the company behind the rock
wall, suggests that climbers go up in
groups of four, so that they can talk to one
another and turn the climb into a social
outing.
Ms Wee has another suggestion: “May-
be they could serve ice-cold champagne
and strawberries at the top to celebrate our
success.”
Get up high
What: BorderX Signature Via Ferrata
Trip
Where: Orchard Central
When: Every three hours on weekdays
starting from noon, with the last climb
at 8pm; every two hours on weekends.
Price: $30 on weekdays and $35 on
weekends. A group discount is
available. For more information, call
6884-4870 or e-mail
info@borderX.com.sg