Following up on a tip off from Roy Kairos RHIB Rides, SG Marine Guide headed out to assess the situation of a Hawksbill sea turtle tangled in a gill net off Pulau Hantu, Singapore!

Unfortunately the turtle was long gone but we were shocked at the situation, the turtle had decomposed, bloated and pulled up a well constructed “gill net” to the surface.

The net was anchored/weighed down to the seabed and spanned for at least 50-100m, maybe even more. The depth of the water was 15m and the net was around 5m high.

After releasing the the carcass the net was to heavy to pull up, this will require a team of divers and boaters to haul up the net and clear it from the vast marine life of Pulau Hantu.

Upon returning and discussing with divers and Marine Stewards, we realised that the net was legally allowed to be there, more over, it was an offence under Singapore Fisheries Act. to cut the net and free the carcass.

Reflecting on the whole situation has really put the recent Netflix Seaspiracy documentary into perspective, like the current virus that is continuing to sweep the world, this type of fishing has no way of selecting who it will kill and who it won’t!

Thank you to Hantu Bloggers and Mothership for picking up the story, we need this echo through, no one wants to see any rice bowls taken away but we need to realise what can be sustainable and what can’t be.

Here is a little short story we made – RIP Tony