Checking up on the whole of Pulau Hantu

A rare survey of the whole of Pulau Hantu as a large team heads out on a lovely evening low tide. Most covered the usual survey area of Hantu West, while a few checked out Hantu East which we seldom visit. 

I saw a large patch of Branching montipora corals! Through the massive annual Sargassum bloom, I got glimpses of common corals, saw a patch of Sickle seagrass for the first time, and the usual reef life common on our Southern shores.

Lost Coast dying as ongoing reclamation expands

This vast sandy shore is a habitat that is now rare in Singapore (thus 'lost') and home to animals that we seldom see on our other shores. This reclaimed shore in Changi East was in the past, remote and difficult to reach; thus 'lost' in yet another sense. In 2022, it was announced that this entire area will be totally reclaimed again; so it will likely be permanently lost forever. This area is strictly off limits without a permit. We surveyed with permission from various agencies kindly arranged by NParks.

The vast shore is clearly dying. Seagrasses have practically disappeared, animals in lower numbers and diversity than we have seen in the past. Ongoing reclamation on the eastern horizon is more obvious and active. We don't know if we can even see this shore again in our next annual survey cycle.

Quiet at Chek Jawa North

For the first time in years, the rain fell somewhere else on our annual survey of Chek Jawa's vast northern sand bar! 

The sand bar is still alive! Seagrasses are still doing well on the seaward side facing Johor, we saw dugong feeding trails and carpet anemones are still there. But the shores seem a little quieter than previous years. Perhaps the pollution events at the Johor River last month had something to do with this? But our May 2025 survey of the Southern sand bar, we also noticed it was more subdued - so perhaps it's something else? Thanks to NParks for permission to survey.

Firm farm equipment off St John's Island taken over by Singapore Aquaculture Technologies (SAT)

Singapore Aquaculture Technologies (SAT) will take over Barramundi Group’s equipment off St John's Island. 10ha of deep-sea cages, the two barges, floating solar panels and a battery storage barge. They will also run a seabass hatchery and nursery at the Singapore Food Agency’s Marine Aquaculture Centre on St John's Island. 

Barramundi Group’s open-sea cages off Pulau Senang and Pulau Semakau will not be taken over by SAT. SAT now operates indoor floating farms in the Johor Strait.

Plans to redevelop Sentosa and Pulau Brani into a tourist destination

A people-mover system is planned between Pulau Brani and Singapore via the Keppel Link bridge. As part of plans to redevelop Sentosa and Pulau Brani into a tourist destination after the Brani Terminal relocates by 2027.

From the Sentosa website 

You can send your feedback to sustainability@sentosa.com.sg

Book on "Coral Reefs of Singapore's Urbanised Sea"

A new book on Singapore's coral reefs shares how reefs respond to decades of chronic urbanization impacts and episodic marine heatwave events.  It demonstrates the significance of protecting coral reef habitats in tropical coastal cities in line with COP and UN SDG14. And lays the contexts of long-term persistence of marginal reefs.

By Associate Professor Huang and Emeritus Professor Chou Loke Ming from the NUS Department of Biological Sciences. $311 on Amazon Sg. Not yet available in our National Library. 

Review on the Springer website and Straits Times article