We survey this untouched island, landing at first light of the sun and last light of the full moon. Pulau Jong is very much alive, even though it lies near petrochemical plants on Pulau Bukom, the Landfill and major shipping lanes.
This is our first survey after mass coral bleaching last year. I am relieved to see the coral situation seems as usual. The rest of the team also find Giant clams, Cushion star, nudibranchs and other colourful marine life. But our survey was cut short by heavy rain!
The rest of the team found a Cushion star - the last time I saw one here was in 2008! They also saw lots of the usual colourful nudibranchs seen on our reefs. As well as reef fishes and large octopuses. There was also a large Black-tailed sea hare.
Although at first glance a natural rocky shore appears lifeless, the team finds many animals on Pulau Jong. Humungous Giant top shell snails are common here, and when they die, large hermit crabs take over the empty shell. Sheltering among the rock crevices were also many Arabian cowries, octopuses large and small. Fierce crabs and shy sea anemones.
As usual, we pay our respects to Mama Jong. The stick which marks her location remains. This enormous Giant clam is called Mama Jong because her babies were a part of
Dr Neo Mei Lin's work. She has been loved and
monitored for a long time. We found her dead on our
Jun 2018 survey. Today, I noticed her shells were still there, even though in
Aug 2021 I didn't see the shells.
The rest of the team found 3 live Fluted giant clams!
I have never seen a lot of hard corals on Pulau Jong since we started surveying it. Most of them are boulder shaped. When we surveyed in
May 2024 during
mass coral bleaching I saw corals on the high shores bleaching while the rest seemed normal, although a few were pale or had pinkish shades, a sign of stress. Today, I didn't see any bleaching corals. The large colonies seemed mostly intact, and there were many smaller colonies widely scattered that were well formed and seemed alright.
Today, I saw some small and medium-sized
leathery soft corals of various kinds. There used to be many very large colonies here, but I noticed a decline in
Aug 2020. In
Jan 2023 is noticed some large colonies and in
May 2024, there remained many medium sized colonies but no large colonies. I also saw the other usual cnidarians such as
Asparagus flowery soft corals, Feathery soft corals, Frilly sea anemones, corallimorphs. Large areas of the shore was covered in button zoanthids. I didn't see any that were bleaching.
Untouched by reclamation, Pulau Jong is one of the last islands where you can find the full spectrum of coastal ecosystems that used to be found in Singapore. Coastal forest growing on natural cliffs full of native plants, along a shore with corals and marine life.
There is still a sprinkle of
Sickle seagrass on the south-eastern edge of the island.
Our survey was cut short by a wall of incoming rain! The power of nature is keenly felt when out on the shore. Thanks to Kelvin and Lon for making sure our large team got out safely!
What is the fate of Pulau Jong?Pulau Jong as well as Terumbu Semakau and much of natural Pulau Semakau is slated for massive reclamation outlined recently in the
Long-Term Plan Review.
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 surveyKelvin YongAdriane LeeRichard KuahTammy LimLon Voon OngMarcus NgJianlin LiuJayden KangLiz LimChui QingTommy TanChe Cheng NeoOthers on this survey: Vincent Choo, Ian Mun, Muhd Nasry, Yan Le
