Ecologists hope to build Singapore’s first man-made oyster reef

Man-made oyster reefs have popped up across Australia, Europe and the US but remains a relatively new concept in Southeast Asia

Scientists say artificial oyster reefs help boost local marine biodiversity, lower pollution in waters and provide food for sea organisms

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Ecologists Erika Ng (left) and Yukie Yokoyama with a reef bag of oyster shells at Changi Sailing Club. Photo: Toh Ee Ming

Published: 4:00pm, 18 Feb 2024Updated: 10:51pm, 18 Feb 2024

For the past few months, ecologist Yukie Yokoyama and her team have been collecting oyster shells from various hotels, restaurants and oyster farms across Singapore before hauling their load back to base at the Changi Sailing Club, located in the city state’s far east.

They pour seawater into the boxes of shells, which are then cleaned and left to dry under the sun to kill any bacteria, ensuring no risk of biohazards or pollution.

Once the “quarantine period” is over, the oyster shells are placed in reef bags made of biodegradable potato starch.

A volunteer session with student volunteers from Rainbow Centre, which serves students with disabilities, to pack shells into biodegradable mesh bags. Photo: Yukie Yokoyama

Suited up in rash guards and snorkelling gear, Yokoyama and her team swim a short distance in the sea to secure the reef bags on a jetty’s concrete pillars.

By reintroducing the oyster shells back into Singapore’s waters, they hope that baby oyster larvae will settle on the shells in the reef bags. Over time, the aim is for the oysters to form a hard oyster reef structure. The shells should provide crevices to shelter other marine organisms such as fish, molluscs and crustaceans.

While man-made oyster reefs have been around for some years and are already established in Australia, Europe and the United States, the concept remains relatively new to Southeast Asia.

Oyster reefs are among the most severely degraded marine habitats on the planet, reports by The Nature Conservancy show, mainly due to overharvesting, poor fishing practices and coastal developments.

Ecologists hope to build Singapore’s first man-made oyster reef

Man-made oyster reefs have popped up across Australia, Europe and the US but remains a relatively new concept in Southeast Asia Scientists say artificial oyster reefs help boost local marine biodiversity, lower pollution in waters and provide food for sea organisms

Man-made oyster reefs have popped up across Australia, Europe and the US but remains a relatively new concept in Southeast Asia

Scientists say artificial oyster reefs help boost local marine biodiversity, lower pollution in waters and provide food for sea organisms