Last month, the Hantu Blog was invited to attend the Green Singapore 2050 Summit by the Singapore Environmental Council, to give a talk about Singapore’s coral reefs and why they should be protected. About 300 students from various primary and secondary schools in Singapore attended the 4-hr talk, and learned about a variety of issues like climate change, consumerist habits, waste management, and of course threats to coral reefs. It was a lot of stuff for 4-hrs! Read the rest of this entry »
By Lawrence Bartlett Yahoo News 29 Oct 09;
HONG KONG (AFP) – The live fish facing death in the glass tanks in Hong Kong’s famous seafood restaurants tell a strange and haunting tale of a looming global tragedy.
At the heart of their story is the bizarre fact that there are more fine fish swimming in the tiny tanks than there are in the surrounding sea.
Having overfished and polluted its own waters to the point where they are home mainly to great ghosts of the past, Hong Kong now imports up to 90 percent of its seafood.
The problem with that, scientists say, is that Hong Kong is a microcosm of a marine disaster in which wild fish are being eaten out of existence worldwide. Read the rest of this entry »
A blenny makes a home out of an experiment. This blenny on the reef of Pulau Hantu, has made a home out of a silt trap. Bet few predators can squeeze into this little tube.
Though the day started out with ran and divers looked at each other nervously as we approached the island, hopes were raised when all of a sudden the gray clouds cleared and the sunshine burst through the water to illuminate the reef. Though it was a little silty, the visibility was at a comfortable 2-3 meters and there were lots of fish out on the reef flat though we had a hard time finding life upon the seabed today. (Above: Tiny coral recruit next to my pointer that’s 5mm in diameter)
The crinoid or feather star (above) were among some critters that crawled out to take advantage of the slight outgoing current this morning. Read the rest of this entry »
Event title: Nature is Changing: Copenhagen & Beyond – What does it mean for Asia?
Date/Time: 11 Nov 2009, 5-7pm
Venue: Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Auditorium, Level 3 Blk B, Faculty of Law, NUS Bukit Timah Campus, 469G Bukit Timah Road Singapore 259772
RSVP: Admission is free, but registration is required. To enable us to gauge attendance, do register online at http://www.siiaonline.org, or contact us 65164202/6134 or lkyspppl@nus.edu.sg. Read the rest of this entry »
Thought this city was just about a 24hr buzz above water? Think again! Once the sun goes over the horizon, a bell is sounded for all sorts of bizarre critters to come out and roam the reef! It’s also a great time to get some photos of the fish because they were all asleep. Some fish, however, don’t sleep, and it can be startling to encounter them as they blitz past your face as they swim about in the dark. It doesn’t help that some of them can be quite big! But I’m sure they were as startled by me. (Above: Arrowhead crab with hydroid adornments, on softcoral)
Here’s a quick peek at some of the highlights from our 1hr night dive. To see more all the pictures, visit our gallery! (Above: Arrowhead crab with algae adornments, on seafan) Read the rest of this entry »
What’s going on beneath the water’s surface on a Friday night? LOTS!
Hantu Blog volunteers, Peimin, Cindy, Chay Hoon, Abby and myself plunge into the dark waters of Singapore for a spectacular wildlife experience! Here’s a sample of our experience in a tiny video clip. Pictures coming soon!
Presented by Professor Michael Kingsford, Head of the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, JCU Australia
Synopsis:
Global climate change is the biggest issue facing resource managers and poses a great challenge to businesses. Unless business adapts to changing resources, gives greater attention to sustainable behaviour and reduces the use of fossil fuel then there are risks. Here I review physical changes that are predicted to happen over the next 100 years, the impact of change on marine ecosystems, challenges to fisheries managers and novel approaches to dealing with climate change. Ocean pH, water temperature, currents, nutrient levels, strength of storms and sea levels are all projected to change over the next 100 years as a result of global warming. The impact of these physical stressors will vary by region and among types of organisms. Plants and animals are affected from the level of cell to entire ecosystems. I will present data from temperate and tropical waters of the Pacific on how patterns of growth of fishes and ranges will change. Even fishes that appear resistant to change can be affected by the collapse of key ecosystem functions. Coral reefs, the foundation of fisheries throughout the Pacific, are vulnerable to change and experiments demonstrate that the risk to reefs is greatest where exploitation of fishes is at a high level. Risk is not limited to the coastal belt, many islands of the Pacific are dependent on tuna for protein – changing oceanic currents can take fish away from traditional fishing grounds and nearby infrastructure for processing (e.g., canneries). Control of CO2 is still the biggest issue to reduce climate change. Innovative ways of making carbon neutral fuels and reducing methane emissions is working toward a solution and generating opportunity.
Bio: Michael J Kingsford
Michael is the Head of the School of Marine and Tropical Biology at James Cook University. The School is a recognized world leader in tropical marine science. He has been President of the Australian Coral Reef Society and Director of One Tree Island Research Station. He has published extensively on the ecology of reef fishes, jellyfishes, biological oceanography and climate change. His projects have encompassed a range of latitudes and he has edited two books on tropical and temperate ecology. A major focus of his research has been on connectivity of reef fish populations, environmental records in corals and fishes and deadly irukandji jellyfishes. In addition to research and leadership, he teaches undergraduate students and supervises many postgraduate students.
When: 29th October 2009, 07.00pm to 08.30pm
Where: Block A01-01
James Cook University Australia, Singapore Campus
600 Upper Thomson Road, Singapore 577421 Admission is Free! Light refreshments will be served.
Coming through Singapore for one day only, en route to the Indonesian archipelago for an expedition, Terry Gosliner, author of books like “Indo Pacific Nudibranchs and Sea Slugs”, and “Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific: Animal Life from Africa to Hawaii Exclusive of the Vertebrates”, wriggled out of his busy schedule for just 4 hours out at sea with the Hantu Bloggers. (Above: Damselfish dart about the reef crest)
Nudibranch enthusiast and Blog volunteer Chay Hoon tagged along to ask some questions about her fave marine creature, but also found the time to get her book autographed by the Curator of the California Academy of Sciences (Above). Read the rest of this entry »
November 24, 2009 
Posted in Announcements, News, Photography 
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Presented by Professor Michael Kingsford, Head of the School of Marine and Tropical Biology, JCU Australia
