Beting Bemban Besar in the face of Sudong reclamation

The tiny team surveys on a short tide window this humungous submerged reef near the ongoing reclamation at Pulau Sudong. Water remains clear and the shore was alive. 

It was a relief to see the seagrass continuing to recover, with signs of dugong feeding trails! Corals seem okay and the rest of the team make all the special finds: sharks, giant clams, fields of branching corals and other colourful marine life.

Terumbu Pempang Tengah in the face of Sudong reclamation

The team survey on a short tide window this submerged reef near the ongoing reclamation at Pulau Sudong.

Leathery soft corals continue to dominate some parts of this shore! We had a glimpse of a large Yellow lipped sea krait, possibly a Nurse shark, and a sea turtle. Also lots of tiny 'Nemos', a huge cushion star. The Clam team found 3 clams!

Other intertidal surveys: Apr 2026

Thanks to team members for checking up on other shores in April. Richard Kuah checked out Coney Island and saw beautiful jellyfishes, many carpet anemones, some with small cardinal fishes swimming very close to them - using the anemones for protection? And many other interesting marine life. Rui Quan Oh and friends checked out Sentosa and saw healthy seagrasses, many small creatures including some pretty fish. Marcus Ng checked out Changi Point and shared beautiful photos of octopuses (so glad they are back), many kinds of sea stars and other echinoderms, colourful flatworms and more. See their full albums below.

Links to their albums below.

Rui Quan Oh and friends also checked out Pasir Ris mangroves and Pandan mangroves. So lovely to see snakes, insects, colourful and special crabs. As well as the Mangrove snake-eel and other fishes. Rui Quan also found four pipefishes under a rock! See his albums below.

Links to their albums below.

Revamp of Giant clam conservation in Singapore and the region

Dr Neo Mei Lin hopes to have long-term conservation funding in Singapore, and plans to revamp giant clam conservation projects here and in the region.

Giant clam on P. Tekukor with Sentosa Cove in the background.

The two giant clam species found in Singapore are threatened not by poaching but by habitat degradation and sediments on reefs. They are also widely spread across the reefs, limiting reproduction. “The numbers are so low that they’re not able to reproduce with each other,” noted Dr Neo.

In 2011 to 2018, Singapore bred giant clams for repopulating. But in one experiment, which involved putting 144 clams into the sea, only 29.9 per cent of them survived after 145 days. The aim is to ensure that the restocked clams can spawn and have their new larvae settle on the reefs and grow, forming the next generation.

6-year study of South-west coastal protect to start

The 116km coastline study from Tuas to Pasir Panjang will be the largest coastal study to date. It is expected to take six years to develop solutions to prevent coastal and inland floods due to rising seas. The Pasir Panjang Terminal area, to be vacated by the 2040s, may be redeveloped, with potential reclamation and works on the surrounding water body. 

Changi quickly

A quick solo survey of Changi at Carpark 1 during a rare daylight super low tide. My first time revisiting since Jul 2023.

Seagrasses are doing very well, but the shore was very quiet. I didn't see any sea stars and many of the anemones that I usually encounter.