Toxic chemicals force fishing ban

Toxic chemicals force fishing ban

SINGAPORE (DPA): Traces of a toxic chemical in fish a week after the collision of two vessels south of Singapore prompted officials on Friday to extend their ban on catching and selling despite the mounting losses to fish farmers.

The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) dispatched boats to the area near 25 floating fish farms to make sure the prohibition is not violated.

The collision of an Indonesian tanker with a Dutch-registered dredger on Aug. 4 resulted in the spillage of 230 tons of phenol into the sea.

The AVA said in a statement the toxic chemical used as an industrial disinfectant was found at a level of nine parts per billion in the guts of fish sampled. A tolerable level of phenol in fish is 0.5 parts per billion.

One farmer said the ban has cost his company S$10,000 (US$6,000) so far.