PONTIAN: Sudden strong winds and high tides that hit Kukup waters have destroyed eight floating fish farms, causing losses of close to half a million ringgit in total.
Kampung Baru Ayer Masin village chief Lim Hong Peng said out of the eight fish farms, four were badly affected, with some facing total losses as the wooden platforms used to breed and rear fish were torn apart.
“We noticed strong winds and currents a few days prior but did not expect the sudden wave to hit the fish farms so badly at around 10.30pm on Saturday.
“The affected operators are reeling from the shock as many of them have been running the fish farms for more than 20 years, and some are second-generation owners. They are still assessing their losses but we estimate it to go over RM400,000,” he said when interviewed.
He added that operators have been cleaning up the debris manually over the past few days, and the process could take up to a month to complete.
“Based on discussions with the operators, the work could be sped up with the help of bigger boats and we have also brought up the matter with Pekan Nanas assemblyman Tan Eng Meng.
“The destroyed fish farms can no longer operate at the moment because the fish have all swum away,” he said, adding that some nearby houses on stilts were also damaged by debris that washed up from the rough seas.
Meanwhile, Tan said that of the over 60 floating fish farms in the area, only a small number were affected by the wave.
“The incident is not expected to disrupt fish supply.
“Still, it is heartbreaking to see the operators’ decades of hard work destroyed overnight by the strong winds,” he said.
Tan, alongside Tanjung Piai MP Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng and officers from the Johor Fisheries Department, visited the site to assess the damage and speak to those affected.
Tan said the department will return today to assist operators in documenting their losses so that they can apply for government aid.
