Marine Foraging Chat Group Disbands in Singapore After Backlash

Viral Video Sparks Backlash Over Coastal Foraging at Changi Beach

An online community dedicated to coastal foraging grew rapidly before dissolving amid intense public scrutiny over the volume of marine life collected from local shores. The footage showed a group of about 16 people heading toward Changi Beach equipped with nets and buckets during low tide, an activity widely known as gan hai or chasing the sea.

The group harvested substantial amounts of crabs, molluscs, and shellfish from the intertidal zone. Among the marine life taken were no fewer than 30 fan clams, which are listed as a vulnerable species on Singapore’s national Red List of threatened animals. The footage also captured a crab being stepped on to prevent it from escaping before being tossed into a bucket.

From Beach Harvest to Havelock Palace Restaurant

After concluding their coastal foraging session, the group transported multiple buckets of marine life to a dining establishment identified as Havelock Palace along Havelock Road. The gathered seafood was laid out in front of chefs before being prepared into a meal served to applauding diners at the restaurant.

The original poster who shared the video emphasized that they were not opposed to coastal foraging in principle, but expressed deep concern over the frequency and volume of the harvests. Instead of taking only what was necessary, the participants appeared to be bagging almost every form of marine wildlife encountered without considering the long-term health of the coastal ecosystem.

Elected Officials and NParks Demand Responsible Etiquette

The incident drew swift condemnation from political leaders and environmental authorities.

“I felt extremely disappointed watching the recent video of people collecting huge amounts of clams, crabs and other marine life from Changi Beach, taking everything to a restaurant to cook, and proudly showing it off like a trophy.”

Valerie Lee, Pasir Ris-Changi GRC Member of Parliament

Lee added that the actions felt like a complete lack of respect for the animals, fragile ecosystems, and ancient foraging traditions that relied on taking only what the shore could sustain. She called on the National Parks Board to increase patrols across intertidal habitats, which she noted are among Singapore’s most vulnerable and magical ecosystems.

Dr Karenne Tun, group director of the National Biodiversity Centre at NParks, urged visitors to protect local marine biodiversity by practicing responsible etiquette, which includes refraining from touching, collecting, or trampling any wildlife found in intertidal zones where collection is restricted.

Chat Group Admin Disbands Platform After Backlash

The online chat group where members coordinated these excursions had swelled from roughly 180 participants in early July to nearly 900 members. Organizers routinely arranged at least three foraging trips each week at locations including Changi, Sembawang, Punggol, and Pasir Ris.

Following public backlash, the administrator deleted the offending videos and announced to members on July 24 that activities would halt. Although some members attempted to continue foraging in Sembawang the following day, the administrator ultimately renamed the chat group and completely dissolved it on July 26.

Nature content creator Kong Man Jing, widely known as Biogirl MJ, also weighed in on the trend via AsiaOne, noting that while traditional communities like the Orang Laut have foraged sustainably for generations, the modern viral trend lacks catch quotas, size limits, or seasonal closures necessary to let local marine populations recover.