AVA aims to make S'pore fish food supply more
sustainable
By Victoria Jen | Posted: 07
July 2010 1154 hrs
SINGAPORE: Singapore's efforts to make its food
supply more resilient has received a boost with the success of its
only deep-sea net-cage farm.
Located off Pulau Semakau, Barramundi Asia, Singapore's biggest
commercial fish farm, is about a half-an-hour boat ride from the
city.
The farm enjoyed its first harvest last October, and now produces
500 tonnes of barramundi, also known as Asian sea bass.
One of the secrets of its success lies in the water.
Joep Kleine Staarman, managing director, Barramundi Asia Farm &
Nursery, says: "Fish farming in Southeast Asia is mainly done in
Indonesia and Malaysia. But Singapore actually has very good water
quality. Having a fish farm so close to Singapore brings the fish
very fresh to the market."
Singapore is a safe haven for fish farming as it isn't prone to
natural disasters like typhoons or tsunamis.
And with help from Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority, AVA,
Barramundi Asia aims to further boost its output by six folds
within a few years.
Mr Staarman says: "Next year 2011, it'll be 1000. And we'll go on
to 2012-2013 to 2000 tonnes. And we want to grow to 3,000
tonnes."
The farm's ultimate ambition is to account for more than 80 per
cent of local food fish production.
As part of AVA's efforts to make Singapore's food supply more
sustainable, there are now more than 100 licensed floating fish
farms in the country's coastal waters.
Tan Poh Hong, CEO, Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of
Singapore, says: "There's a selective breeding programme which was
started about five years ago, where we look for the best breeds,
the blue stocks, and these are able to grow much faster at 15 per
cent. We are looking right now into selecting breeds that can grow
faster, even up to 30 per cent, so when you can grow faster, you
can have better productivity."
Currently, Singapore's main sources of food fish are neighbouring
countries like Malaysia and Indonesia. - CNA/jm
