Although Pulau Hantu lies just across the petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom, there are living reefs and even mangroves here. A full team surveys at the first predawn tide of the cycle.
It was a relief to see that the reefs seem to have pulled through the
Fourth Global mass coral bleaching event last year. As well as oil spills large and small. We last surveyed in
Jun 2024 just after the 400tonne
Pasir Panjang oil spill on 14 Jun 2024. We surveyed again in
Oct 2024 12 hours after
an oil spill at Pulau Bukom.
As usual, the rest of the team make all the special finds. From a 'Nemo' to crabs only found on good reefs, to sea stars and feather stars. As well as many kinds of slugs and other colourful creatures.
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Collage of photos by the team.
Links to their albums at the end of the post. |
The team also came across a fish trap ('bubu') full of parrotfishes. Photo by
Richard KuahDuring our
Jun 2024 survey, we estimate about 20% of hard corals were full on bleaching and another 20% of hard corals were stressed (pale, odd colours). About 10% of soft corals were full on bleaching and another 20% slightly stressed (pale). Today, the reef edge seemed back to normal with some parts dense with the usual variety of common and less commonly seen corals. I didn't see any that were bleaching.
The large colonies of
Goniopora corals and
Galaxy corals on the reef edge are still there.
I didn't see any bleaching, but some were pale and there were some dead patches among the living polyps - some with fluffy algae growing on the dead patches. The big colony of blue
Branching horn corals is still there with living polyps on the edges but a big dead patch in the middle.
At the reef edge, there are still lots and lots of mushroom corals! On our last survey in Jun 2024, many of the
Circular mushroom corals were fullon white bleaching, but the other kinds of 'long' mushroom corals were alright. Today, I didn't see any that were bleaching. Most seems healthy without any large dead portions. I only saw one
Sunflower mushroon coral before I had to turn back due to weather.
I saw several small colonies of
Anchor corals that were fine, and one large cluster of colonies that were mostly dead with only small portions of live polyps.
There have always been many medium-sized
leathery soft coral various kinds here. Today I didn't see any that were bleaching. I also saw many
Asparagus flowery soft corals, some large colonies of
Sea mat zoanthids, a few
Giant carpet anemone, and several
Fire anemones. They were all fine.
There remains hardly any signs of seagrasses. I only saw a few clumps of Tape seagrass with medium length leaves (about 30cm) heavily covered in ephiphytes. Even Spoon seagrasses are sparse and tiny.
We had to cut our survey short due to incoming weather just at sunrise. I didn't get a close look at mangroves that have settled naturally on the seawall (without planting), but they seemed to be alright. The wet weather also meant Kelvin couldn't fly the drone. Hope we have better weather next time!
What is the fate of Pulau Hantu?Pulau Hantu and all the terumbus west of it are slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the
Long-Term Plan Review. Singapore's submerged reefs are often out of sight under the high tide and thus forgotten.
The Singapore Blue Plan 2018Pulau Semakau and nearby islands and submerged reefs have been recommended by the Singapore Blue Plan 2018 for Immediate Conservation Priority. The Blue Plan recommends the intertidal and subtidal marine areas of Pulau Semakau and adjacent Pulau Hantu, and Pulau Jong to be designated Marine Reserve.
The Blue Plan highlights that Pulau Semakau and its associated patch reefs comprise many ecosystems: coral reefs, mangrove areas, intertidal sandflats, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs. The subtidal area of Pulau Jong is larger than the terrestrial area. Pulau Hantu is a popular dive site has seen increasing interest in the past decade due to biodiversity awareness. If protection is accorded to these three islands, zonation plans for use can be implemented to manage tourism and human impacts.
DOWNLOAD the Plan, SUPPORT the Plan! More on the
Singapore Blue Plan 2018 site.
Photos by others on this surveyAdrianne LeeKelvin YongRachael GohJianlin LiuRichard KuahOthers on this survey: Jonathan, Chay Hoon, Chui Qing, Myra.
