PUBLISHED ONJuly 29, 2026 5:06 AMBYWong Dao EnPasir Ris-Changi GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Valerie Lee has weighed in on the controversy surrounding a group seen foraging marine life at Changi Beach and cooking their haul, calling the behaviour "deplorable".
In a Facebook post on Sunday (July 26), Lee said she was "extremely disappointed" after watching videos of people collecting "huge amounts of clams, crabs and other marine life" from the beach before taking them to a restaurant to cook.
"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," she said.
"It's not just about whether something is legal or not. It feels like a complete lack of respect – for the animals, for these fragile ecosystems, and even for the traditions of ancient foragers, who understood that you take only what you need so the shore can continue to provide."
Lee recalled walking the beach last year as part of a National Day intertidal walk, where she said that a little flower crab was one of the highlights of the event.
She said that going on the walk completely changed the way she viewed Singapore's shores, stating that the environmentalists opened her eyes to "an entire world that most of us walk past without ever noticing".
"Every patch of sand, every rock, every tide pool is full of life," she added, "And once you see it, it's hard not to care."
Lee urged NParks to step up patrols at intertidal habitats, stating that Singapore's marine life habitats are among the country's "most magical" but "most vulnerable" ecosystems.
"Though enforcement has its place, protecting our shores is everyone's responsibility. If you see people treating our intertidal life like it's a free buffet, don't be afraid to call it out respectfully. We all have a part to play in looking after these places," she said.
"Some of Singapore's greatest treasures aren't in museums or skyscrapers. They're quietly waiting under the rocks at low tide. Please leave them alone!"
This comes after a Douyin video of a group foraging for marine life at Changi Beach, and then proceeding to cook them for a restaurant, was re-posted on Facebook group Complaint Singapore on July 13.
In the videos, the group can be seen collecting large amounts of crabs, shellfish and molluscs in buckets.
The haul appeared to have been cooked for restaurant Havelock Palace, located near Clarke Quay.
According to the netizen who reposted the clips, the group frequently shares similar content.
"I am not against coastal foraging. However, what is concerning is the frequency of their visits and the volume of marine wildlife they harvest during each trip," the netizen wrote.
Biogirl MJ, a content creator who specialises in nature and biology, also weighed in on the incident.
Kong Man Jing, better known as Biogirl MJ, said that foraging itself was not the issue, pointing to local communities such as the Orang Laut, who have done so sustainably and responsibly for generations.
Instead, she said the problem lies in the "mindset and the intention" behind such activities.
She added that the videos appeared to be part of a wider viral phenomenon known as gan hai on Chinese social media platforms such as Douyin and Xiaohongshu, where users attempt to catch as many marine animals as possible.
"These creatures are not released back into the wild in these incidents most of the time," she said.
The original Facebook post also alleged that the Douyin account behind the videos used the username "Xiao Wang Dai Ni Qu Gan Hai", which translates to "Xiao Wang brings you to gan hai".
Kong also pointed to similar gan hai incidents overseas, saying the trend has sparked concerns elsewhere.
However, she noted that Singapore is significantly smaller than many other countries and does not have "endless shores" to support constant harvesting.
"Without seasonal closures, size limits, or catch quotas, local marine populations simply don't have enough time to recover."
Kong added that many Singaporeans have already observed a decline in marine biodiversity, and criticised participants for not considering the long-term consequences of their actions.
She said education remains important and that many people are willing to release animals once they understand the ecological impact.
"If our natural spaces are open for everyone to enjoy, then everyone also has the responsibility to respect them," she said.
Kong also claimed that the restaurant featured in the videos had threatened her with legal action after she left a review on its Google page.
"They claimed that all of these sea creatures were actually bought from the market and then simply brought to the beach for filming before bringing them back to the restaurant," she said.
According to Kong, the legal threat "disappeared almost immediately" after she posted evidence that she said showed staff harvesting marine life from Singapore's shores.
In response to AsiaOne's queries on July 24, NParks said that it is aware of the Facebook post, and "seeks the understanding of the public" to protect the local intertidal biodiversity.
Dr Karenne Tun, group director of the National Biodiversity Centre at NParks, said that intertidal habitats are "fragile and critical" to the health of the marine ecosystem, and urged visitors to protect them by "practising responsible etiquette" when visiting these areas.
This includes refraining from touching, collecting, or trampling on any wildlife so they can continue to thrive in their natural habitats, Dr Tun added.
The public may also endanger their own safety as they may not recognise poisonous, stinging or venomous marine wildlife species.
"The removal of wildlife from their habitats, including intertidal zones, harms our biodiversity and disrupts our ecosystems. Each species plays a unique role in its ecosystem and their removal can have far-reaching consequences on ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling," she said.
"This in turn affects the ecological resilience of our natural habitats," she explained. Removal of wildlife from their habitats may also endanger their population, especially for threatened species.
According to Dr Tun, the collection of animals from intertidal zones under NParks' jurisdiction is restricted. They include Sisters' Islands Marine Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Labrador Nature Reserve's rocky shore and Pulau Ubin's Chek Jawa Wetlands.
For intertidal areas beyond NParks' jurisdiction, such as the Changi area, the board focuses on public education through online advisories, physical signs and increased patrols to share best practices as well as educate visitors on how to interact responsibly with marine wildlife.
More information on intertidal etiquette can be found on NParks' website.
In the comments, independent naturalist and researcher Luqmanul Hakim bin Othman pointed out that common intertidal invertebrates outside the nature reserves are explicitly exempted under the Wildlife (Exemption) Order 2020.
"Unless lawmakers update the law to remove that exemption, NParks has no legal authority to stop coastal foraging on general shores," he said, urging Lee and other relevant authorities to formally engage to address the issue.
[[nid:678537]]
daoen.wong@asiaone.com
