Inland pond, freshwater spots: Anglers find new fishing haunts after oil spill

For about seven years, Mr Derrick Tan has been casting his fishing line into the waters at Bedok Jetty in East Coast Park as a hobby.

- Elaine Lee

But after a Netherlands-flagged dredging boat hit a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel at Pasir Panjang Terminal on June 14, causing Singapore’s biggest oil spill in over a decade, the 47-year-old stay-at-home dad to three children decided to look for alternative fishing spots.

So he went inland – specifically, D’Best Recreation, a saltwater fishing pond in Pasir Ris.

Since the spill, Mr Tan has visited the pond four times with his 12-year-old son and his 15-year-old daughter to fish.

It costs him either $61 or $66 per trip – depending on the time of the day he visits – and he spends about three hours there each time.

“I have known about D’Best for many years, and I started going there about 10 or 12 years ago, but then I stopped fishing regularly for a while,” he said.

“About seven years ago, I started to fish again, in Changi and at Bedok Jetty, for fun, and it became a regular thing.

“After the oil spill, I thought about alternatives and remembered D’Best. When I went last week with my son and daughter, it was my first time back in about 10 years.”

Mr Tan is among a handful of recreational anglers who have turned to D’Best as the authorities continue cleanup efforts and advise against engaging in water activities in affected areas along Singapore’s coastline for the time being.

General manager Jevon Lew said that a typical weekday during the June and December school holidays would see about 100 to 120 customers.