Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) announced on Wednesday that it has fully lifted the sales suspension imposed on 12 fish farms, following the massive Johor oil spill in January. "Fish, crustaceans and molluscs available in our market are safe for consumption," said AVA in an update on the matter, as reported.
Samples from the affected farms passed the food safety evaluation that was conducted to determine if products were contaminated by petroleum and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of chemicals that can be found in crude or industry oil. Though fish sale was somewhat resumed, it took longer for the sales suspension for molluscs and crustaceans like lobsters and crabs to be lifted. "The samples undergo a combination of sensory and chemical analyses to determine if the farmed aquaculture is safe for consumption," AVA said, as reported by Channel news Asia.
Tiberias Harvest was one of the first farms to have their sales suspension for fish lifted. "We are grateful for AVA's responsiveness to farmers' feedback and needs, and also for the guidance and materials provided for protection and clean-up measures," said Raymond Sng, the owner of Tiberias Harvest.
According to reports, farms have lost 100kg and 200kg of fish after the mishap. One of the fish farms in Pulau Ubin, called Gills N' Claws, was said to have lost its entire Chinese New Year harvest and endured a damage of S$700,000.
The massive oil spill happened after a collision between a Singapore-registered container vessel and a Gibraltar-registered vessel in Pasir Gudang Port, Johor, Malaysia. One of bunker tanks of a vessel was damaged in the clash, resulting in around 300 tonnes of oil spillage.
