An 80kg giant stingray was caught at Bedok Jetty on July 30.
The angler, Alo, recounted his epic catch on his Shoreangler blog.
He said it took over three hours to reel the creature in.
After he did, the spoils of their catch was distributed to those on shore.
Alo wrote on the blog: "We had to cut up the fish and weigh it part by part to get the actual weight of the fish. Final weight add up to 80kg. The fish was shared among many friends."
"This fish could be the second heaviest that have caught at bedok jetty since it open in 1974."
Slammed by public
Subsequently, a member of the public took to Facebook to slam the act of killing the stingray instead of letting it go free.
The leopard whipray is classified as a vulnerable and threatened species under the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Videos of the stingray being cut up was also put up with the Facebook post.
Lee slammed those involved for inflicting on the stingray unnecessary suffering and killing it, as the creature likely died a terrible death.
She wrote: "Keeping in mind that this is a 80kg to 100kg Ray and slimy, it's not going to be an easy task. There was no way they could have brought this Ray up onto the jetty without a net."
"So, Alo and the people around him had to USE VARIOUS TOOLS to POKE, STAB, HOOK, STRING the Ray up onto the jetty."
"And because of this action, the Ray probably bled out on the jetty AND DIED. YES THE RAY DIED. BUT THAT'S NOT ALL, the Ray was then cut up and shared among the people there."
ACRES response
In response to Mothership's queries, Kalai Vanan, deputy chief executive officer of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES) said:
We feel frustrated and sad that the leopard whipray, a vulnerable species according to CITES was killed instead of being freed. This species, like countless other aquatic animals regardless of their population status have seen substantial decline in populations due to overfishing.
It is sad that the animal had to be killed even though food security in Singapore is secure. While ACRES as an animal welfare group recognises fish as sentient beings too, this issue can be better managed by more awareness raising among the angling community on what they can take and what they should release back. Perhaps signs at popular fishing spots on possible endangered species they may encounter may help anglers make better informed decisions.
We may be lacking in clear blue waters but let us remember that the waters around our tiny island are home to some amazing biodiversity including species of sharks, dolphins, stingrays and sea turtles. We should be working towards preserving them and treating animals with compassion.
Top photo via Samantha Lee