Photo of the fish farm taken on 3 Aug 08. The same area is also used to park huge oil rigs in Singapore for repairs or maintenance.
Where is the fish farm located?
This is probably the fish farm referred to in the location map in the MPA Port Marine Notice of May 08.
What happens at the fish farm?
The farm raises 'super fry' which are engineered by local marine scientists at AVA's Marine Aquaculture Centre. They are genetically selected seabass that grow 15% faster than average.
The 1cm fry spend two months in the Semakau nursery before being transferred to the sea cages. The farm has 14 steel cages and will eventually have 36. Each cage is 15m by 15m, able to contain 30,000 fish and located at a depth of about 10m.
Fed twice daily on imported dry pellets, the fish take 18 to 24 months to reach the desired weight of about 1kg. There is an automatic feeding system, instead of feeding by hand. As well as an automated vaccination system to individually vaccinate each fish.
The farm has a yield of 80% as some fish are lost to disease despite being vaccinated.
What happens to the fish from the farm?
The company started harvesting from the sea cages in October. 80tonnes have been harvested so far. 500tonnes will be harvested this year and the target is 3,000tonnes a year by 2012, which would represent 86% of Singapore's current local fish production and 3% of total fish consumption.
The harvest is sold to Jurong Fishery Port or to restaurants. The farm's harvest is also available at local supermarkets such as Sheng Siong.
What are the plans for fish farming in Singapore?
Granted a licence in May 2008 for the Semakau fish farm, the company aims to set up a second fish farm in the area to produce another 3,000 tonnes by 2020, and to look at supplying other varieties such as red snapper.
AVA said with an additional four similar farms, Singapore can meet 15% of its total fish consumption. Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan said the Government wants to increase local fish production from 4% to 15% of consumption - about 15,000 tonnes of fish - and will require another four or five farms the size of Barramundi Asia.
Is Singapore a good place for fish farming?
Barramundi Asia said it prefers Singapore waters as these are sheltered from tsunamis, earthquakes and typhoons.
There are 106 licensed coastal floating netcage fish farms in Singapore's coastal waters. Last year, the marine aquaculture industry produced 3,235 tonnes of food fish at a value of $11.4million. Grouper, seabass and snapper are produced, as well as crabs, shrimp and mussels.
Full media reports on this on the wildsingapore news blog.
What is the impact of the Semakau fish farm on the surrounding marine life?
First of all, is there marine life nearby? Yes, the shores of Pulau Semakau and nearby submerged reefs are very much alive.
Unfortunately, the media reports did not address some of the potential impacts of aquaculture. These include:
What are the farmed fish fed with?
Although aquaculture is often touted as a solution to overfishing, ironically, fish and marinelife may continue to be overfished in order to feed the farmed fish.
What is the impact on surrounding marine life of massive fish populations confined in the cages?
Fish diseases can impact not only stock but also marine wildlife. Farms may use antibiotics and other chemicals on their fish stock. These together with wastes from the fish stock are also released to the surrounding marine ecosystems. Excess nutrients and wastes can cause ecological upsets such as algal blooms. Escaped farmed species may become invasive and disrupt our native marinelife.
Related posts
- Boosting fish farming in Singapore: what environmental impact?
- Coastal fish farms: where does the fish waste go?
- Farming fish in ocean cages harms wild fishes
- Aquaculture "most rapidly increasing food production system worldwide"
- New fish farm off Pulau Semakau, May 08
- Kelongs vanishing fast in Singapore Jessica Lim, Straits Times 28 Sep 09;
- Grow more locally? Not easy to cultivate Farmers hail promise of funding and land, but worry about labour shortages, land prices and environmental constraints Irene Tham, Straits Times 9 Aug 09;
- Co-op gives local fish stocks a boost Five fish farms here link up and 10 others keen to join cooperative Jessica Lim, Straits Times 4 Aug 09;
- Singapore steps up efforts to promote local farming Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia 3 Aug 09;
- Government to set up two funds to improve food security in Singapore Desmond Wong, Channel NewsAsia 31 Jul 09;
- Half Of Fish Consumed Globally Is Now Raised On Farms, Study Finds ScienceDaily 7 Sep 09;
- Rules Guiding Fish Farming in the Gulf of Mexico Are Readied Cornelia Dean, The New York Times 3 Sep 09;
- More articles about aquaculture issues on wildsingapore news.
