Fish Farm

In 2019, Singapore produced about 4,700 tons of food fish from its 122 licensed food fish farms. This constitutes around 10 percent of its annual total consumption of live and chilled food fish.

In Singapore, 92% of the seafood we consume is imported from our neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. The remaining 8% comes from local fish farms such as ours and there are 96 as of today.

'30 by 30' Currently, we import over 90 percent of our food from over 170 countries and regions, In 2019, our nation set forth an ambitious new goal — to produce 30% of our nutritional needs on local soil by 2030..

Global warming and the recent COVID-19 epidemic have led to many nations’ looking out for their own citizens’ interests, making domestic food sources even more important in an increasingly volatile future.

Fetch: A nautical term meaning the distance over which wind driven waves travel without encountering obstructions

The longer the fetch, the more powerful the waves.

The fetch in Singapore is small, so we only get small waves, wont destroy the kelong or the net cages.

“That’s so fetch”-mean girls

One of the biggest challenges of fish farming comes in the sheer variety of marine life, and the demands that each species of fish require.

“You can have a brown pig or a black pig, but it’s still a pig in terms of DNA,” Lucky muses. “But when it comes to fish, a salmon is completely different from a grouper. Every species behaves differently — That’s the challenge of fish farming.”

Despite the challenges, Fish farms managed to produce a whole variety of seafood, including hybrid grouper, coral trout, white shrimp and blue shrimp, oysters, mussel

When fish are sick, they aren’t going to wait for you to tend to them — They aren’t going to press an alarm button. The trees in a plantation would have about 2 weeks to react if something wasn’t right. But for fish, the entire batch could be wiped out in a day

Wild fishes and escaped fishes like to hang out at the bottom of the fish farms as it is a constant source of food.

At the West Johor Straits, off Lim Chu Kang, coastal farms culture mainly milkfish , grey mullet and marine tilapia as these species are able to tolerate the occasional low dissolved oxygen conditions found in the area

At the East Johor Straits, coastal farms are located in the waters off Seletar, Pasir Ris, Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong. These farms culture a mix of higher-value marine species such as Asian seabass, greasy grouper, hybrid grouper , crimson red snapper , short-fin pompano, four-finger threadfin.

Kelongs also culture crustaceans and molluscs, such as spiny lobsters , shrimps , mud crabs green-lipped mussels and oyster.

Thrests: Over the last decade, Singapore’s coastal fish farms have experienced two major episodes of harmful algae bloom (HAB) incidents, an oil spill incident resulting from a vessel collision, and occasional low dissolved oxygen conditions at the West Johor Straits

It takes about a year to get the fish to adult size, so that’s a year’s effort gone.

we interviewed a kelong uncle and he told us he was hit by the bloom 4 times in a row, that’s 500k revenue lost

in Singapore, SFA strict rules banned the use of hormones and chemical, with hormones, you could raise the same fish in 6-8months compared to a year. so the fishes raised in Singapore is naturally more expensive.

Over 70% of the world’s wild fish stock has been exploited or depleted due to over fishing, and therefore, fish farming or aquacultured fish has become a necessity, which is quickly stepping up to ensure that the demands for fresh fish for human consumptions are well met. While fish farming in sustainable methods are perfectly eco-friendly and equally profitable, there are many fish farms that are utilizing methods which are harmful and hazardous for the environment, and there ought to be more regulations in this sector.

Raising carnivorous fish can be high maintenance for the fish farmers. For every pound of salmon, they need to feed it 2-5 pounds of other fish.

Sea food such as clams, scallops, mussels, and so on is actually highly eco-friendly and act as filters for water because they are fiber eaters. They make the eco-system cleaner, and they are also easier to contain because of their lack of mobility.

lemon tree wood, too popular, no more supply left, its all gone.

Replaced with bala wood, wood selected must be rot resistant. but that is also getting too expensive, thats why we see so many kelong is such run down condition.

So most of the kelong now are floating kelong, the blue barriers are cheaper and last longer that the expensive wood.

The cost of nibong, the rare palm imported from Indonesia which is commonly used in kelong construction, increased from $35 a pole in 1993 to $60 in 2007, said kelong owners. Then, imports ceased due to shortages, forcing them to switch to other hardy woods priced at more than $400 a pole.
These increases have emptied the pockets of kelong owner The Aik Hua.
It now costs him $22,000 to replace 55 poles annually - the average amount needed to maintain his kelong - up from $2,750 two years ago.

Cost to buy a kelong, around $60,000 to $100,000.

The farm to table concept is one that has been wildly popular lately, but the guys behind Ah Hua Kelong feels that the term has been misappropriated, with ingredients flown in from overseas not exactly farm-fresh.

Thus, their newest restaurant concept, Scaled By Ah Hua Kelong at Haji Lane, aims to tackle this by using fresh seafood from local kelongs and seafood farms located in the Singapore waters to make their food truly worth of the ‘farm-to-table’ term.

You’ll definitely have to make a trip down to Scaled, I haven’t had such great and fresh seafood in a really long time, and the best part? I’m supporting a local business every time I dine here, which makes me enjoy the food even more.

Ah Hua Kelong is actually named after our founder Ah Hua, who founded this farm 20 years ago. We have two fish farms, one in Changi and the other in Sembawang

How do you run the operations of your online delivery service? We run on the premise of freshness as that is paramount for seafood. My partner is in charge of collating orders, following that he will send the orders to our team at the kelong overnight. The next morning, our kelong team will harvest the seafood required from our nets and we’ll have it delivered fresh to our customers’ doorsteps.

What is a normal day on the kelongs like?

Just like any other farm work, it’s definitely back-breaking and not the most glamorous. Most youngsters in our generation aren’t too keen on this, which is why most of the fish farmers are old uncles. We have a total of seven guys in the team and their day starts at 5 am. They start by raising the nets which normally takes an hour. From 6-7 am, they will scoop the feed and remove any dead fish. Following which, they will wash the nets and start cleaning out the shellfish to prepare for delivery. All this will usually be done by lunchtime where I will pick up the seafood at the jetty and have them delivered to our customers and our restaurants.

Can you tell us more about your restaurants?

Through our restaurants, we hoped to create a platform that could feature our fresh seafood through carefully crafted menus, which celebrate its natural flavours and allow diners to taste the difference. Hence, dining at our restaurants is not just about our food but also the experience, as every plate offers a fresh perspective.

As of now, we have two restaurants, the first restaurant is simply named Ah Hua Kelong. It’s located at Jalan Riang and serves our freshly harvested seafood prepared Chinese ‘Zi Char’ style. The other outlet, Scaled by Ah Hua Kelong, takes on a modern Asian-fusion approach and is located at Haji Lane. For Scaled, we serve up a small menu focusing on affordable sharing plates to reach out to the younger crowd.

Why BtoC? Restaurant have very specific requirements (each fish must weigh between 500g and 1.2kg) and won’t buy fish which are too big. With consumers, we have a little more flexibility and they are also more keen to share about our products with their friends, whereas restaurants would consider their suppliers a trade secret.

Diseases and pollution

Challenges, as it gets easier to farm, the margins becomes smaller and smaller, when is was once 10 per kg, it is now down to a few cents a pound.

As the farming spreads, so does the pollution, it will spread to the countries with cheaper labour, they will bare the cost of the pollution.

Wild fish cost more, more margin there, back to plundering the ocean for more fish.

How to tell a wild fish form a farm fish?
- The farm fish usually have pretty serious rot happening in the fins

Most of the “Wild” fish that we eat, are just escapees from the fish farms.

Requires 3-5 pound of fish to produce every pound of salmon or bass

Holy grail: less than 1 pound of feed for 1 pound of fish, the vegetarian fish, like tilapia, catfishes and barramundi

mussels are great not polluters

Most fish do not breed freely, they spawn only once a year, need to induce them to breed, each fish is different, some need changing amount of light to dark ratio in a day, some would need a hormonal change to spawn.

Company name is ‘The Fish Farmer’

Malcom was fire from his own company and decided to start a fish farm.

2020-2021: lost all the restaurant business and airline business

Covid 19 shows that we have to be more self reliant

Lucky for 30 by 30 government goal, they were given extra incentive to continue fish farming

New tech that he deployed: water quality measure system, will immediately alert him if there is a drop in water quality, more time to reach.

Under his leadership, The Fish Farmer’s four farms now produce over a variety of fish and fish-based food products, including grey mullet, milk fish, red snapper, barramundi and sea perch.

Most traditional fish farmers are very old, and many of their children don’t want to take over… We’re talking 70 or 80 plus and still in the business. If you’re 60 and a traditional farmer you’re considered young.

Farming has always been hard work. You are exposed to the elements all the time and dealing with live animals makes it harder — after all, fish can’t call out for help.

We rear milkfish at first because milkfish is very hardy…but milkfish isn’t popular with Singaporeans, because it’s very ley chey [troublesome] to eat, there are more than 200 tiny bones. So, we started to sell grey mullet which is less bony and more often used in Chinese cuisine.

Toyota way: harvest only when there’s an order (zero food waste)

999, 90% of the energy is solar, 90% of the farm is water, 90% of the material is recycled.

Fairprice farm to table concept.

Feed: pellet feed. have fish meat inside

Converted from a Sand barge.

Company name: ‘Blucurrent ‘

Located off the eastern coast of Singapore, Singapore Aquaculture Technology or SAT is more than just a regular fish farm — It’s a beacon for the future of local food security. The 3,000 square metre floating fish farm employs cutting-edge technology to nurture its haul of asian sea bass (aka barramundi) and red snapper.

“In traditional fish farming, you’re exposed to elements in the water,” Michael explains. “In modern fish farming, you get to control those elements.”

While traditional fish farming is done in open waters with nets, SAT employs a high-tech tank (also known as a closed containment system) that allows for higher yield and precise control of various elements like oxygen levels, waste and feed.

Fish can be afflicted by a whole variety of diseases, including viruses, bacteria and parasites. A closed containment system allows for the use of video analytics to track behaviour like swimming patterns and skin lesions, ensuring that the fish harvested are of the highest quality.

“We want to predict when something will happen, rather than reacting,” Michael tells us. “If the fish is floating, it’s a little too late!”

Closed containment systems also allow modern fish farms to use biofilters to break fish waste like ammonia into nitrogen, and prevents overfeeding. The latter issue can be hard to track on traditional fish farms, due to sediments in murky water and fish feed that falls through the nets.

It takes about 8-10 months of attention and care for the fish at SAT to be ready for the market. Fish larvae are nurtured in a hatchery, and then placed in a grow out system as they mature into fingerlings. They are harvested with a fish pump when they reach market size.

SAT’s smart system was developed in partnership with Siemens to make its farming methods more precise.

The farm employs 50% solar power to run its operations.

SAT’s smart system was developed in partnership with Siemens to make its farming methods more precise.

how to get better tasting fish? no water flow, then you get muddy taste. good flowing water, then you have a fresher taste.

The fish-rearing capacity of the narrow body of water to Singapore's north, where almost all the nation's offshore fish farms are located, could soon reach maximum production levels as the country scales up local food production.

A spokesman for Barramundi Asia said the company produces about 700 tonnes of fish annually, with about 60 tonnes harvested on a monthly basis.

Local barramundi farm joins hands with start-up lab to produce 'premium' fish,

they grow 30 per cent faster, are stouter and less prone to diseases.

Through a selective breeding programme based on molecular markers, local start-up Allegro Aqua bred "premium" Asian sea bass, otherwise known as barramundi, in a controlled environment. They were bred from superior brood stocks with specific desirable genetic traits.

Mr Andrew Kwan, director at Barramundi Asia, said that the firm also has plans to supply superior, vaccinated barramundi fingerlings to other fish farms in Singapore, coupled with a guaranteed buy-back programme when the fish are ready for harvest.

"To this end, farmers who opt in on this scheme will follow a strict prescribed feeding programme and adhere to the international standards of husbandry practices adopted by Barramundi Asia because it will be a branded product,

In deep seawater leases off the Southern Isles of Singapore

AKA: the Asian Sea Bass

the ideal farm fish: Spawning throughout the year.

They can live in both salt and fresh water

They have huge gills, good for low oxygen environment

Highly disease resistant

They can live mostly on vegetarian feed.

They can do something no other fish can: they can make omega 3 fatty acids from vegetarian oils.

But the west still loves the European sea bass and the salmon, highly disruptive fish, why not call it Asian sea bass? Would help it to gain traction in the West.

Farmed fish were used to transport drugs like coke as the sniffer dogs were unable to smell pass the odour.

Smelly fish is also a really good deterrent from customs officers, nobody want to get their hands dirty and smelly just for the job.

The fish is namely tilapia

The Mcdonald Corperation. to make the famous filet o fish.

The fish that they use is not always the same fish, it really depends on which one they can get at the cheapest rate.

Salmon is the world most commonly farmed fish.

They have to be farmed in the areas with cold flowing water.

They are originally form the northern hemisphere, the warm waters of the equator prevents them from crossing to the south.

But due to the world wide demand for salmon, Chile, a country in the southern hemisphere has also begun to farm salmon and is one of the largest exporter of salmon in the world.

the Pink from wild salmon comes from the krill they eat, similar to the pink of flamingoes, it also comes from the natural diet.

To make will salmon pink, the farm food (aka: feed) is enhanced with chemicals to make the flesh pink and appetising. Some farmed salmon are artificially injected with colouring to make the flesh pink.

A high-tech fish farm, capable of producing up to 20 times the "minimum production level" of coastal farms

The S$4 million farm called Eco-Ark is contained within a platform measuring 48m by 28m anchored about 5km off Changi Point ferry terminal. It uses a closed containment aquaculture system

It will eventually produce up to 166 metric tonnes of fish like barramundi, red snapper and grouper each year in its four tanks, each with a capacity of 475,000 litres.

Coastal aquaculture farms currently employ open net cage farming systems which makes them vulnerable to environmental threats,” said Dr Koh, adding that plankton blooms, oil spills, waste discharge and warmer waters from climate change are existential threats to these farms.

Poor practices in conventional open farming systems can also result in water pollution, affecting marine biodiversity, he added.

What sets Eco-Ark apart from other floating aquaculture closed containment system farms is its patented Novel Offshore Advanced Hull system (NOAHs).

Water from the sea is drawn in through three large pumps and filtered with ozone technology which kills off all pathogens in the sea water. The water passes through the four fish tanks and a second filtration system purifies fish waste and fish feed from the water and returns it to the sea.

The Eco-Ark is home to 30 tonnes of fish, including barramundi, red snapper fingerlings and groupers, all of which were raised without the use of vaccines, antibiotics or hormones.

the waste water that is later discharged from the tanks into the sea is also cleaner than when it was first pumped into the farm.

hopes to eventually open two more Eco-Arks: One with eight tanks and another with 10 tanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY82Oypgvic&t=1s