Marine foraging chat group with nearly 900 members disbands after public backlash

At its peak, an online chat group of marine foragers in Singapore had nearly 900 members.

Conversations in the group revolved around the best coastal locations to catch marine life here, and the showing off of fresh hauls.

The group is now no more, having been disbanded by its administrator on July 26 after a viral Douyin video of marine foragers sparked public backlash in Singapore, reported Lianhe Zaobao.

Known as gan hai (chasing the sea), the Chinese trend involves catching shellfish or sea animals such as crabs at beaches or coastal areas.

According to Zaobao, a man who created social media content of him participating in the activity had started the chat group to allow fellow foragers to connect.

A reporter from the Chinese publication joined the group in early July, when there was about 180 members. The number quickly swelled to almost 900 people within the month.

The chat group reportedly arranged at least three foraging trips each week at locations including Changi, Sembawang, Punggol and Pasir Ris.

On July 13, a Facebook user reposted a Douyin video of a group of people collecting large amounts of crabs and shellfish at Changi and expressed concern over the frequent trips and the amount of marine life captured and cooked.

"This group appears to be bagging almost every form of marine wildlife they come across, with little consideration for the sustainability of our coastal ecosystem," the netizen wrote.

The National Parks Board (NParks) told AsiaOne on July 24 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, urged coastal visitors to protect the marine ecosystem by "practising responsible etiquette", which includes refraining from touching, collecting, or trampling on any wildlife.

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Pasir Ris-Changi GRC MP Valerie Lee also said on July 26 that she was "extremely disappointed" by the videos and opined the activity felt "like a complete lack of respect".

Following the public scrutiny, the admin of the chat group deleted his gan hai videos and made an announcement to members on July 24, reported Zaobao.

"To respect local laws and protect the marine ecosystem, and avoid bringing trouble to everyone, the group will not organise any gan hai activities in the near term," the message read.

Members were also asked to abide by local regulations and to not collect protected marine species.

But some group members still arranged to go foraging in Sembawang and uploaded videos of themselves doing so the next day, according to the Chinese publication.

The videos were reportedly requested to be removed by the administrator, who also renamed the group to avoid mentioning the words gan hai.

The chat group was eventually dissolved on July 26.

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