Letter from Brandon Seah, Straits Times Forum 8 Aug 08;
I READ with concern Tuesday's article, 'Temple devotees liberate 300,000 cockles', on cockles being liberated off Pulau Ubin by a group from a local Buddhist temple, as an act of merit.
While I understand the sentiments they bear, and appreciate that they believe they are doing something which benefits these animals, I must point out that their actions will probably harm the environment instead. However, because the 3 tonnes of cockles are covered by the waves, these effects may not be noticed so easily.
First, releasing so many cockles in one spot will probably attract predators from surrounding waters, so most of the cockles will be eaten soon after their release. Second, having been out of water and stored in sacks, these animals are in a weakened state, and most will probably not survive the shock of release. Third, when they die, their carcasses, being concentrated in a small area, will befoul the surrounding water by decomposition. Fourth, those that do survive will compete with native organisms for food and living space, resulting in an ecological upset.
Our local waters, despite pollution from shipping and other human activities, still contain much native marine life. These native organisms suffer whenever aliens are released in such quantity.
