SINGAPORE : Seafood lovers who are fans of the firm, sweet flesh
of the cobia - also known as the Black King Fish - can now sink
their teeth into Singapore-bred cobia.
A pilot project, started last year, to farm the species off St
John's Island has been declared successful by the Agri-food &
Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).
Using the deep netcage farming method, its Marine Aquaculture
Centre started out by rearing 2,000 cobia fingerlings from Taiwan
in large cages measuring 14 metres in diameter and 7 metres to 8
metres in depth - compared to the conventional 3 metres
depth.
Within nine to 12 months, the fish were able to grow to six
kilogrammes and had a survival rate of over 90 percent.
The successful experiment paves the way for other fish farms in
Singapore to breed cobia, which is now mainly imported from
Taiwan.
The AVA's technique can produce 30 times more fish than the
conventional method used in fish farms here.
Although this technique of growing fishes has been around for about
30 years and is practised by countries including Norway, China and
the United States, AVA aquaculturist Ms Wee Joo Yong explained that
Singapore's marine aquaculture is still in the developing stage.
Hence, it is taking baby steps towards using more advanced
technology.
The AVA hopes that eventually 40 percent of fish supplied to
Singapore will be raised through marine aquaculture, as fish catch
from the seas and rivers has been on the decline.
Marine aquaculture would ensure a constant supply of fish to
Singapore in the long run.
There are currently 90 floating farms in Singapore, with a
production capacity of 5.5 million kilogrammes.
Cobia is the second breed of fish that the AVA has experimented
with at its fish-rearing facility, and it won't be the last.
Ms Wee said the AVA will encourage fish farmers to try and rear
fishes that are not found in Singapore waters.
"We started this programme with the golden pomfret last year. The
response was very encouraging, retail-wise, and some of the local
fish farmers are culturing the fish now," she said.
"The AVA will try to test-culture another new food species. The
criteria is that it must be fast growing, easy to culture and
well-liked, with a high chance of survival."
The AVA said it would be introducing a third tropical food fish
here soon. - TODAY