Malaysia, S'pore reaffirm efforts to protect marine life in Johor Strait

The Johor Strait, the narrow body of water between Singapore and Malaysia, is under growing pressure from many sources, including aquaculture farms and land reclamation.

- Shabana Begum

In the face of these threats, both countries on Nov 27 agreed to continue sharing information on the ecology of the area to conserve the marine biodiversity there, as well as to continue joint efforts in water quality monitoring in the strait.

Along the strait, the flushing of water is limited, and the water is rich in nutrients and lower in oxygen.

This comes as Singapore on Nov 19 announced a sweeping plan to overhaul its flagging aquaculture sector with the aim of boosting fish production while safeguarding the marine environment.

Under the new plan, the environmental impact of a farm will be assessed based on the amount of nutrients such as nitrates and sulphates it releases into the water to prevent algae blooms, for instance.

Both countries have fish farms along the Johor Strait. Unsustainable farming practices such as over-feeding or the release of too many nutrients into the sea can harm the strait's water quality and sea life.