Dead fish in Ancol 'a natural occurance'

Dead fish in Ancol 'a natural occurance'

Damar Harsanto , Jakarta

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso announced on Friday the results of lab
tests performed on dead fish that washed up on beaches in Ancol,
North Jakarta, over the past several weeks, saying the deaths
were a natural phenomenon.

Citing the findings of scientists at the Indonesian Institute
of Sciences (LIPI), the governor said an increased algae
population had absorbed the oxygen in the seawater, killing fish
and clams.

"The so-called red tide is a natural occurrence when there is
a lot of rain followed by hot weather ... ," Sutiyoso said in
Muara Angke, North Jakarta.

The governor made the announcement during an event called
"Eating Seafood Together", which was held to convince residents
that it was safe to eat seafood. The event was similar to those
held in several countries during the bird flu scare.

Displaying a satellite photo, Sutiyoso said the area affected
by the red tide stretched along the coastline from Kamal beach to
Karnaval beach, about 50 square kilometers.

In addition to LIPI, the Jakarta Environmental Management
Agency (BPLHD), the Jakarta Animal Husbandry Agency, the Jakarta
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Agency and the Bogor Agriculture
Institute have also analyzed fish from Ancol. The results of
their tests also seem to point to the role of algae in the deaths
of the fish.

BPLHD head Kosasih Wirahadikusumah, who accompanied Sutiyoso
to the event, corrected an earlier statement that the algae that
killed the fish and clams was toxic.

"The algae we discovered in the seawater was non-toxic," he
said.

Kosasih told City Council Commission D on development affairs
on Tuesday that the agency had discovered a "neurotoxic
substance" that killed the fish, but that it had only affected
their "gills and belly".

The BPLHD has already retracted its warning to the public not
to eat seafood following the discovery of the dead fish at
Karnaval beach in the Ancol Dreamland Park on May 7. Its warning
had a damaging impact on fishermen, who said fish prices dropped
by up to 50 percent as a result.

Non-governmental organization Indonesian Forum for the
Environment has voiced suspicion that the fish and clams were
being killed by high levels of pollution in Jakarta Bay. The
organization has alleged that industrial plants located in the
area dump unprocessed waste into the bay.

A number of city councillors also raised concern that the fish
were dying because of industrial waste being dumped into the bay
by nearby plants, questioning why the red tide was not occurring
in other coastal areas in the country.