KUCHING: Fish in the pond used to be the main attraction of Friendship Park here.

And the recent dead fish incident had caused disappointment to the public who frequently visited the park.

A teenager who requested anonymity said she often visited the park just to look at the fish, adding that the dead fish incident was shocking and disappointing to her.

In a report on the dead fish incident at Friendship Park in The Borneo Post on Oct 4, a Kuching South City Council (MBKS) spokesman was quoted as saying that the pond was never designed for fish and therefore the council never released any fish into it.

He was quoted saying: “It’s the public who released the fish into the pond and fed them.”

He said the intention was good but oil from the bread and buns like butter and coconut buns would probably caused the water to turn oily and murky and overtime, the fish population in the pond multiplied to such an extent that they caused the water to be murkier and the water pump to malfunction.

Responding to this, the teenager said she was not sure if the council never released any fish into the pond.

“I remember when the first time I visited the park when it was opened in 2005, there were already beautiful Japanese Carp in the pond.

“And if the council never released any fish into the pond why were there signboards indicating no fishing in the park?,” she asked.

She said she used to see public releasing fish fry into the pond but never knew that the pond was not meant for fish and thought that others might not be aware of it as well because there was no signboard saying that the public could not release fish into the pond.

“Feeding the fish in the pond with bread and buns could have resulted in the murky water but at the same time being able to feed the fish was what made the park so special,” she added.

She hoped that after the repair works were done, the fish should be placed back into the pond and proper maintenance measures taken.

Not to forget, necessary signboards must be placed in the park to avoid such incident from recurring, she said.

Meanwhile, another member of the public who requested anonymity said it was his first time to the park and he was in the park after he heard about the dead fish incident.

“Although this is my first time to the park, I quite like this place because it is so beautiful and peaceful but I guess I was a bit too late to witness the fish in the pond.

“I believe that the scenery here would have been far more beautiful when the fish were still alive,” he added.

A couple who were seen having their lunch break at the park was also disappointed with the incident.

“Every evening one can see children feeding the fish and they are excited about it. Looking at their excitement makes us happy as well. But now, it’s all gone,” they lamented.

They pointed out that, visitors at the park were not only from nearby areas but some came from far away to relax in the beautiful garden and look at the fish.

“The fish were the beauty of the park,” they added.

chica wrote:
so sad the fishes are gone...its weird tat de council says tat de pond are nt built for a fish pond...i mean its even weirder tat any public wanted to release expensive koi fish there ....de council noticed tat de fish has multiplied over de years since it was opened, knowing tat de public feeding of food items tat arent suitable to de fish, then de council shld have put up a notice board within de area.

zookim wrote:
the council is not responsible for this. is the public. y put fish into the pond and blame other? that is what the public only know how to do