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Residents of Terrasse Condo, a condominium development located in Hougang, were shocked when they found a group consisting of at least six people catching fish inside the pond in their compound on Jun. 16.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, a resident of the condominium, surnamed Lin (transliteration from Mandarin), said the group arrived at the development at around noon on Jun. 16 with their fishing gear.

They subsequently went down to the pond to catch the fish, and the whole process lasted for two hours.

According to Lin, the group embarked on their fishing operations because a resident of the condominium shared on an e-commerce website that members of the public could come to the development to catch some fish for free as the condominium management was looking to clear the pond.

Upon noticing their operations, other residents alerted the security guards, who rushed to the scene to stop the group.

Residents disagree with removing the fish

Lin also told Shin Min that the residents have been feeding the fish in the pond for many years, and no one has the authority to let members of the public enter the condominium and catch the fish.

"Even if the condominium management wanted to clear the pond, it should at least notify the residents first. However, we were not informed. If the company allows members of the public to enter the condominium freely, it poses a potential threat to the environment of the condominium and [safety of] the residents," Lin added.

Another female resident of the condominium also saw the benefits of keeping the fish, contending that they not only constitute part of the scenery but they could also help control the mosquito population by eating their eggs.

Response from condo management

In response to Shin Min's query, a manager from the condominium management, surnamed Chen (transliteration from Mandarin), said the company did not authorise anyone to share online that it was looking to clear the pond.

He also claimed that the company had never agreed to allow members of the public to enter the development to catch the fish.

According to Chen, the pond only served as a viewing pond and did not contain any fish until some residents began releasing fish into it after moving in.

Currently, there are at least a hundred ornamental fish, including koi fish and turtles, in the pond, reported Shin Min.

Moving forward, the condominium management will not remove the fish, but residents are also not allowed to release more into the pond, revealed Chen.

As for the resident who took it upon themselves to post the information about the removal of the fish online, the manager declined to share further details as investigations on the matter are ongoing.

Top image via Shin Min Daily News