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On Aug. 28, at least eight juvenile Blacktip reef sharks were found dead in the waters near Pulau Hantu.

Pulau Hantu is an island located southwards of mainland Singapore.

According to a Facebook post by environmental conservation organisation Marine Stewards, the juvenile sharks were found around 10 meters deep in the waters.

The group added that based on the state of decomposition, these sharks seem to have died recently, likely in the past day.

All of the sharks had damage to the gill area.

The group added that the sharks may have been caught in a net.

According to Marine Stewards, the news of the deaths has been shared with the Friends of Marine Park network and NParks are aware of this incident.

Native to Singapore waters

Blacktip reef sharks are native to Singapore.

These sharks can grow up to 1.6m in length.

This species is classified as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its population has been declining due to fishing and habitat loss of coral reefs.

This is not the first shark death in recent weeks.

Recently, a Blacktip reef shark was found dead in Sentosa with a plastic cup over its head.

Top image from Ishan Lamba via Marine Stewards.