‘Mentaiko’-Like Eggs Belong To Golden Apple Snail, PUB Says They Don’t Affect Water Quality
Many natural wonders can be found in Singapore, despite its small size.
One natural “attraction” that has captured our imagination recently is the mentaiko-like eggs seen at the bank of a reservoir in Singapore.
Well, those who might have wanted to take a look for themselves shouldn’t bother going down now – national water agency PUB has already cleared them.
They also reminded the public not to release animals into our reservoirs, as they’ll upset the aquatic ecosystem of our waters.
Egg clusters found at Lower Seletar Reservoir
In a Facebook post on Thursday (11 Mar), PUB noted the recent reports on the pink eggs, including by MS News.
They said these egg clusters were found at Lower Seletar Reservoir.
Many netizens said they reminded them of mentaiko – or salted and marinated cod roe.
Eggs belong to Golden Apple Snail
Obviously, though, they’re not mentaiko.
The PUB said that the eggs actually belong to the Golden Apple Snail, or Pomacea canaliculata, who are not native to Singapore.
They’re a type of freshwater mollusc and found usually in urbanised freshwater habitats like reservoirs, ponds and ditches.
In a statement to MS News, PUB also said that Golden Apple Snails are bad news for our native Apple Snails (Pila scutata).
The 2 snail species compete for food and water.
The Golden Apple Snail is also listed among the top 100 most-invasive alien species in the world, according to the Global Invasive Species Database (GISD).
Eggs can be toxic, but don’t affect water quality
PUB said that the eggs of the Golden Apple Snail can be toxic, if they’re ingested.
However, they don’t have any natural predators – probably because they’re so toxic.
Even an egret spotted near the eggs declined to touch them.
Source
Despite their toxicity, they don’t affect the water quality of our reservoirs, PUB added.
PUB said it conducts more than 500,000 water quality tests annually on our water.
This is to make sure Singapore’s tap water is within the World Health Organisation (WHO) Guidelines for quality of drinking water.
PUB & NParks regularly remove eggs
The presence of the eggs might still concern Singaporeans, as they’ll hatch into pests.
But PUB has assured that the agency, together with the National Parks Board (NParks), regularly removes the eggs.
This is part of their maintenance works at nature areas and reservoirs.
According to photos posted by PUB on Thursday (11 Mar), the bank seems largely free of eggs after the clearing.
PUB also said that Golden Apple Snails haven’t been detected in the freshwater streams of our nature reserves.
If detected, they’ll also be removed.
PUB reminds public not to release animals into water
PUB also reminded the public not to release animals into our water bodies like reservoirs.
That’s because they can affect their native biodiversity, and upset our aquatic ecosystem.
For example, if the population of non-native species like the Golden Apple Snail continues to grow, they will compete with our native snails for food and other resources.
Kudos for the swift action
When MS News first reported on the eggs, we said the authorities might need to take action to prevent damage to the environment.
Kudos to PUB and NParks for their swift action in removing the eggs, and their regular maintenance of our reservoirs.
Through this, we hope Singaporeans will have greater awareness of how our actions affect the biodiversity of our natural spaces.
That can lead to more efforts to protect our waters so we can continue to enjoy clean water.
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