Forum: Stricter laws on use of fishing nets needed
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The news report, “ Abandoned fishing net kills 14 endangered blacktip reef sharks
The potential ripple effect on marine ecosystems is of concern as sharks are apex predators that play an important role in regulating fish populations.
It was also reported that a 2022 study by National University of Singapore scientists found a staggering amount of abandoned or lost fishing gear, including fishing lines and nets. More than 25,500 pieces of such fishing gear were found left on beaches, intertidal zones and mangroves in Singapore from 2000 to 2019.
I understand that licensed fisheries are permitted to lay nets outside protected waters under the Fisheries Act. However, stricter regulations should be imposed on the use of fishing nets in permitted local fishing grounds.
For instance, fisheries should be allocated a limited period of time to set up nets in licensed waters, after which they have to retrieve them. By doing so, any bycatch – non-target fish or marine species trapped by fishing nets – can be released back into the sea before they die.
Enforcement could be supplemented by voluntary monitoring efforts of local marine-conservation groups, installing more surveillance cameras or conducting more frequent patrols around coastal areas.
Fines should be levied on fisheries that do not comply with the regulations and for the improper disposal of fishing nets.
It is important to invest in more stringent efforts to conserve our marine life, especially endangered species, as they support closely interdependent ecological networks. When these networks are fragmented because of human activities, humans will also be ultimately affected as populations of species down the food chain – which we rely on as a source of food – are not regulated as nature intended, and will decline.
Moreover, marine ecosystems play important roles like flood control and coastal protection, which help alleviate the impact of climate change on the human population.
Xavier Lee Dian Han
