Singapore’s last fishing village faces an uncertain future
Singapore’s last fishing village faces an uncertain future
Tucked away on the eastern end of the Yishun Dam on the edge of Seletar Airport, the village used to be located a little closer to the sea, before moving to its current location about 15 years ago.
Some 80 or so boats line the various jetties at the village, used by a mix of those who fish for a living and others looking to pass the time outside work.
The fresh catch - a variety of fish, prawns and other shellfish - is often quickly snapped up by friends, relatives and regulars who, for decades have been heading down to the village.
The community is made up of people who lived in fishing settlements located on the northeastern coast, who were forced to move when their kampungs and jetties made way for HDB flats.
For Mr Bah Lak, 63, the village is the last vestige of the only life he knows. “Nowadays, young people don’t want to do this kind of job, most want to work in the office with aircon.”
The privacy of the community at the fishing village is fiercely guarded with signs at the gate and jetty entrances.
With construction along the adjacent Yishun Dam and amid calls for the area to be developed, the future of the village is uncertain.
