Other shore surveys in Jun 2026

Rui Quan Oh covered the most ground in the month, checking up on Admiralty, Sungei Buloh, Pasir Ris, Marina East and together with Zen Xuan He, Pulau Ubin. They see all the amazing wildlife that regular shore survey team miss. From owls to mousedeer, snakes and skinks, frogs and weird and beautiful insects. And extortionate cats attempting to intimidate snacks out of innocent passersby.

The rest of the team cover Changi and East Coast PCN. 

JTC to reclaim 49ha off Lorong Halus

No date has been set for the reclamation, as JTC is reviewing the findings and recommendations of the assessment, as well as feedback from the public about the report. The new land has been designated for industrial and special purposes in the Urban Redevelopment Authority Master Plan.

JTC said: “To enhance the biodiversity in the area, nature-based solutions will be assessed for suitable locations within the reclamation site. “Solutions being studied include creating a gentler shoreline slope or increasing its roughness and number of crevices to encourage intertidal and marine biodiversity growth.”

Punggol is still alive!

A small team surveys the living shores of Punggol this morning.

They find rare anemones that are only common on this shore. Sea fans, reef fish, nudibranch and other amazing marinelife!

Nudis galore at Punggol

At Punggol Jetty, the boulders on the shore were very much alive!

The large boulders on the shore were covered in living animals at the low water mark. These encrusting animals are food for nudibranchs and it was intriguing to find many signs of nudibranchs here.

Punggol beach still alive

There is still life on Punggol beach, although today, the water was bad and I sense the shore was even less lively than our last survey in Sep 2018.

I noticed the new line of blue drums 'security barrier' on the shore. But the team has a good morning exploring. Among the highlights: uncommon seagrass, slugs and the Burgundy sea anemones are still there.

Punggol shore clinging on to life

We return to this rocky shore, directly opposite the source of the 300-tonne oil spill in the East Johor Strait in Jan 2017 at Pasir Gudang Port in Johor.

The shore today seemed a lot less lively than our last survey in May 2017. But there is still some life here.

Punggol after the oil spill

This rocky shore is directly opposite the source of the 300-tonne oil spill in the East Johor Strait in January at Pasir Gudang Port in Johor.

Five months later, I'm glad to find life on the shore. Although the diversity is much lower than in the past and I think the invasive mussels I saw in Kranji (the West Johor Strait) is also here.

Survey of oil spill spill impact on Ubin and mainland Singapore

I did a quick survey of northern shores and saw oil spill being cleaned up at Punggol, Pasir Ris and Changi. I also had a glimpse of Ubin mangroves by boat and saw that oil was affecting those on Pulau Ketam as well as Sungei Puaka.

The oil spill impacts those that depend on good water quality in the Johor Strait. This includes wildlife like this eagle that I was lucky enough to photograph catching a fish right in front of me. As well as the 60 fish farms located in the waters affected by the oil spill.

Oil spill near Pulau Ubin, 4 Jan 2017

A collision between two container vessels at Pasir Gudang Port resulted in 300 tonnes of oil spilled. Apparently, the oil made landfall at the Western end of Pulau Ubin (location of Outward Bound Singapore).

Slick around Punggol Jetty with Pasir Gudang
on the horizon, taken afternoon of 4 Jan 2017

I had a quick look at the situation from Punggol Jetty this afternoon. What is the likely impact of the oil spill? What natural shores may be impacted?

New bus stop built next to Punggol mangroves

There is a narrow sliver of natural mangroves at Punggol near Punggol Jetty and Coney Island.

Thanks to an alert from a nature lover, I had a closer look at a new bus stop that was built right next to the mangroves.

Black water at Punggol Jetty

The water around Punggol Jetty is black! Checks suggest the water at Pasir Ris and Pulau Ubin still seem alright.

While I didn't come across many dead fishes, there were signs of many issues affecting water quality. From trash to coastal works. Please help me monitor the situation and let me know if you see any dead fishes.

Dead Fish Alert!

Please help me monitor dead fishes washing up on the Johor Straits. Please let me know if you see large numbers (more than 20) especially of large dead fishes (more than 20cm long) washing up on the northern shores such as Pulau Ubin, Lim Chu Kang, Sungei Buloh, Kranji, Sembawang, Punggol, Pasir Ris, Changi.

Thank you!

Punggol mangroves being smothered by clay?

There is a narrow sliver of natural mangroves at Punggol near Punggol Jetty and Coney Island. Today, I noticed a layer of bright orange clay coated the area as far as I could see from the roadside.

I've reported this to NEA and NParks. [Update 4 Feb 2016: I got a call this morning from Mr Hoseni who said the matter has been referred to their enforcement unit who will follow up with the people doing the massive construction nearby to ensure this stops. He said the equipment they had on site was unable to cope with the overflow of clayey water. He appreciated the feedback and said we should continue to provide such feedback.]

Our first survey of Coney Island

The team have our first look at Coney Island's shores during yesterday's low spring tide. There is a sandy stretch just opposite Pulau Ubin that has seagrasses and all kinds of interesting marine life.

We heard scary stories about sandflies on this shore, so we came fully prepared.

Pulau Ubin OBS briefly

This is probably the loveliest part of Pulau Ubin. Tanjung Tajam on the western end of the island under the charge of Outward Bound Singapore.

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to visit with the wonderful OBS team who are organising volunteers to help clean up Ubin and restore nature there.

How will the new Punggol SIT campus affect wild habitats?

Yesterday, it was announced that the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) will become Singapore's university in the north-east.

Graphic from the Straits Times 24 Aug 2015.

Overlaying the graphic on Google Earth, it appears there will be new roads (blue). The northern road appears to cut close to a tiny sliver of wild mangroves there (yellow dot).

I last visited this mangrove patch in Feb 2011.

Punggol's living rocky shores

There is a pretty little stretch of rocky shore at Punggol Jetty, just opposite Pulau Ubin.

Alas, no seagrasses today. While the shore had colourful marine life, it was far less diverse than my last trips here over the years.

Thousands of dead fishes still washing up; with otter surprise!

Thousands of dead fishes are still washing up on the 9 locations on north-eastern Singapore that I surveyed today. From Punggol to Pasir Ris and Changi. Wild and farmed fishes, large and small. This is worrying.

I also saw an otter near the dead fishes. Fortunately, it seems alright. Google tells me otters can be hurt or killed by red tides, but I'm not sure how accurate this is. Perhaps experts can help share more about the threat to otters of plankton blooms and mass fish deaths. Here's a discussion of this on facebook.

Dead fish update: Changi, Ubin, Pasir Ris, Punggol

Dead fishes are washing up on Changi Beach, large and small, wild and farmed. We also checked a small stretch of Pulau Ubin and include in this post, updates shared by others on the situation at Pasir Ris and Punggol.

What is causing the mass deaths? According to a facebook post, OnHand Agrarian says: "the good folks at DHI labs gave a probable answer: Gymnodinium breve". And one of the fish farms has issued a public SOS appeal for crowdfunding among its customers.

Colourful life on boulders of Punggol

The boulder-strewn shores near Punggol Jetty are encrusted with colourful sponges and other interesting marine life.

Sadly, also lots of trash.

"Action Plan to Reduce Marine Trash in Singapore" by Green Future Solutions

An "Action Plan to Reduce Marine Trash in Singapore" has been proposed by Eugene Tay of Green Future Solutions. I am deeply grateful to him for leadership on this heartbreaking issue.

Here's what I saw at Punggol Beach this morning. Which highlights key points in Eugene's Insights on Marine Trash in Singapore. This part of Punggol shore is probably cleaned regularly, so the trash is probably very recent.