What we’ve been up to in August 2014?

13-August-2014 (Wednesday) – Replacing Jong clam

Greetings from Pulau Jong!  The Clam team headed back to P. Jong with the main goal to put back Mama Jong clam back home. She has done us proud, providing her next generation of gametes which are now growing in our tanks. Here’s some pictures of the island and her home.

The interface between late-dusk and breaking dawn

Gloomy dark clouds coming up from the south of Singapore

Mama Jong clam and her trusty stake! (That stake was placed in 2010!)

During her short stay with us, she has grown new shell layer which can be seen here as the shiny white lips!

Baby Jong clams at day 49

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14-August-2014 (Thursday) – Semakau Salvage

A big thank you to NEA for making the arrangement for a selected group of us to have the (last) opportunity to salvage some of the sessile animals. The Clam team was particularly interested in taking any existing giant clams and Trochus snails for the purpose of augmenting our mariculture work. We were almost on the brink of giving up, until the very last hour, Ambert spotted his first burrowing clam, and later I found another two. We are happy to have taken them back to our facility, otherwise would have been buried forever!

Background: Semakau Landfill is Singapore’s first and only offshore waste island, being slowly filled up with our incinerated waste ash. Sadly, it has finally come to the point where the last cells on the landfill needs to be constructed for use. Hence, selected groups have been invited to visit these remaining shores to salvage the reef organisms.

We like to also thank the LKCNHM Education Team for liaison work and TMSI for including us on this trip!

Burrowing giant clam, Tridacna crocea

Tridacna crocea are specialist burrowers that stays embedded for the rest of its life. To remove the clam, Ambert needs to chisel the surrounding rubble in order for us to extract the clam. This process can be highly stressful for the animal, and currently being monitored if the individuals can do well in our aquaria tanks.