A few fishermen and fish farmer’s livelihood were affected when after thousands of dead fish were found floating in the waters surrounding Tanjung Kupang along the Johor Straits.

The Star reported the mass death had been detected 4 days ago and it is believed to be caused by land reclamation works in the area.

Around 10 fish cages and 250 fishermen had been affected by the tragedy.

Fish farmer Lee Boon Hock, 30, said he had suffered losses of more than RM150,000 in three days due to the incident as more than 90 percent of his fish had died.

He said the sea water in the area had turned to a murky copper tone following land reclamation works that began a month ago.

“This is the first time this has happened and we only managed to save a few fish. However, we need to conduct tests on them to ensure that they are safe for consumption,” he said at his fish farm near Kampung Pendas Laut close to the Second Link bridge linking Malaysia and Singapore.