Public Utilities Board (PUB), country's national water agency said in a Facebook post on Sunday that they will not take any further action against the two youths, who were caught on camera while fishing illegally at Merlion Park.
The post stated that PUB thanks everyone, who had expressed concern over the illegal fishing incident and said that both the boys had already been advised and counselled by their school, so they will not take any action against them.
In the post, PUB also asked the citizen to understand the importance of responsible fishing. They added that the water around the Merlion Park is a part of the Marina Reservoir, which serve as, first and foremost, a source of water supply in the island.
In further addition, they said fishing activities at reservoirs are only permitted within designated fishing areas and these areas are selected on the basis of various conditions such as public safety and demarcation of zoning for different water activities. These designated zones are also selected while keeping one thing in mind that whether they are a good distance from footpaths and the Park Connector Network, for the safety of pedestrians.
PUB said earlier they had received several incidents caused by irresponsible fishing behaviour and fishing in non-designated areas. They also mentioned about one incident that took place in May 2017, when a 10-year-old girl needed a surgery after a fishing hook got lodged in her cheek at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park.
They said, "Such incidents remind us of the need to regulate fishing activities. As PUB continues to review more spaces for fishing activities in consultation with other water activity groups, we would like to appeal to the public to abide by the rules and regulations set so that everyone can enjoy our reservoirs and waterways safely."
In the post, PUB advised people to visit https://www.pub.gov.sg/getinvolved/activities/fishing, where they can find more information about designated fishing areas.
A video posted on a Facebook page called SBS - Sure Boh Singapore, has received 568 comments, 393000 views and almost 1600 likes.
