Challenges in Singapore Aquaculture and Possible Solutions

Abstract

Singapore’s aquaculture sector is critical to achieving the nation’s ‘30 by 30’ food security goal, which aims to produce 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. However, the sector faces several significant challenges. Limited land and water resources, high operational costs, disease outbreaks, reliance on imported seedstock, and environmental impact are among the key issues. Additionally, the industry struggles with a shortage of skilled manpower and high dependency on foreign labour. This study explores these challenges in detail and suggests potential solutions to enhance the sustainability and productivity of Singapore’s aquaculture. Innovative farming techniques such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs) and vertical farming, advanced water quality management, and the adoption of renewable energy sources are recommended to address space and cost constraints. Developing local breeding facilities, enhancing education and training programs, and adopting sustainable practices are also crucial. The establishment of a national hatchery and increased investment in research and development (R&D) are essential for long-term growth. By implementing these strategies, Singapore can overcome the challenges in its aquaculture sector and ensure a sustainable future for local food production.

1. Introduction

Aquaculture in Singapore has gained significant attention in recent years due to the island nation’s ambitious ‘30 by 30’ goal, which aims to produce 30 percent of its nutritional needs locally by 2030. At the time of announcing this goal in 2019, associated with a major investment from the Singaporean government targeting R&D, training, and sector development support, 7.9 percent of seafood consumed in Singapore was grown locally; this dipped to 7.3 percent in 2023 [1]. Given Singapore’s limited land (~750 km²), coastline (193 km), and water resources, achieving this goal presents numerous challenges. This opinion piece explores the challenges faced by Singapore’s aquaculture sector and suggests potential solutions to enhance its sustainability and productivity.

2. Comparing Singapore with Global and Regional Aquaculture Trends

Globally, aquaculture is a rapidly growing industry, with major producers like China, India, and Norway leading the way. These countries benefit from extensive coastlines, larger land areas, and established aquaculture practices. In contrast, Singapore’s urban landscape and limited natural resources present unique challenges [2]. Regionally, countries like Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia have also made significant strides in aquaculture. These nations have vast coastal areas and favourable climates for fish farming and benefit from lower labour and operational costs compared to Singapore. This was highlighted by a farmer who owns a few farms in Southeast Asia. As per the farmer, Ms Yoong, in comparison to Singapore, the land was almost free, and the labour costs were much lower in Lombok (Indonesia) and Sarawak (Malaysia), enabling them to rake up profit. However, in contrast, they could manage to only break even in Singapore [1]. However, Singapore’s emphasis on high-tech solutions and sustainability sets it apart, as it aims to create a model of urban aquaculture that can be replicated in other densely populated areas around the world [3].

3. Challenges

3.1. The Resource Crunch: Space and Manpower

Singapore’s small land area poses a significant constraint for aquaculture development, with most of the production originating from coastal marine aquaculture. These coastal fish farms are distributed along the Western and Eastern Johor Straits, where except for a few farms, most are traditional, known as kelongs. Species such as Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer), grouper (Epinephelus coioides), and red snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus) are mostly cultivated in the Eastern Johor Straits, while milkfish (Chanos chanos), mullet (Mugil cephalus), and marine tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) are primarily reared in the Western Johor Straits where the Straits are shorter and narrower and have comparatively lower oxygen levels [4]. Currently, the Singaporean aquaculture industry comprises around 90 farms, where 74 of them are sea-based operations (Figure 1); however, this number is not expected to increase, since new sea farm licenses are not being issued in the Johor Straits [4,5]. To address this space shortage, in January 2024, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) [6] announced a public tender for two parcels (~5 ha each) of sea space to be used for farming in the southeastern waters off Pulao Bukom [7]. There are also a few land-based farms (primarily farming tilapia, snakehead (Channa spp.), and marble goby (Oxyeleotris marmorata), but they face higher operational costs due to the scarcity and high price of land [4]. In addition, the aquaculture industry faces a shortage of skilled manpower. Although several local institutions do offer relevant training programs, a high level of leakage is observed with the graduates increasingly choosing comfortable and stable deskbound jobs in industries other than aquaculture. Thus, the industry still relies heavily on foreign labour, with the higher levy imposed on hiring foreign workers adding to the farm’s operational costs. There is also a gap in terms of the lack of skilled professionals in the aquaculture sector [4].

3.2. High-Operating Costs and Trend to Adopt Modern Farming

Historically, Singapore did not have a fishery industry. Despite this, the still nascent sector is expected to take a leap of faith from traditional farming to embrace modern approaches. It is important for the adoption of modern technology to go hand in hand with the core skills and knowledge required for fish farming, else it will only lead to higher costs, and worst still, failure. This higher need for advanced technology to run the farm, together with higher electricity prices and reliance on imported feeds, makes the cost of running an aquaculture facility in Singapore considerably higher in comparison to neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. Energy costs for land-based farms are particularly high, and there is a lack of local breeding facilities for fingerlings, making farms even more dependent on imports [6].

Countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam benefit from extensive coastlines and favourable climates, allowing them to scale aquaculture operations and reduce costs. In contrast, Singapore’s limited coastal space and urban density present significant challenges. These neighbouring countries also enjoy lower labour and infrastructure costs, making their aquaculture industries more competitive. However, Singapore sets itself apart with advanced, high-tech aquaculture systems, offering a replicable model for urban, land-constrained regions globally [2,8]. Globally, countries like Norway and China dominate aquaculture due to vast coastlines and established practices [2]. However, Singapore’s focus on high-tech, sustainable farming offers a unique model for densely populated regions [3].

Due to the much higher operational costs, Singaporean farmers are having difficulty competing with imports from neighbouring countries in terms of pricing as well as volume. Recently, there has been public awareness campaigns including outreach to educational institutes, the development of a Singapore Specification for Clean and Green Urban Farms—Aquaculture accreditation (SS689:2022), and via farmers markets, encouraging Singaporeans to support local produce; however, these initiatives to date have at most had only a trickle effect in terms of changing consumer preferences [9].

3.3. Disease

Disease remains one of the biggest challenges for Southeast Asian aquaculture [10,11]. Singapore is in the middle of the two major aquaculture nations of Indonesia and Malaysia, and since 2019 has recorded a number of World Organisation of Aquatic Health (WOAH)-listed and other diseases of importance infecting farmed fish. These include red sea bream iridovirus, koi herpesvirus, viral encephalopathy and retinopathy, Lates calcarifer herpesvirus, and numerous bacterial pathogens (www.enaca.org). Specifically, pathogens such as scale drop disease virus (SDDV) and viral nervous necrosis (VNN) result in mortalities of cultured fish typically ranging from 40 to 90% [11,12].

SDDV is an emerging viral disease in Southeast Asia that poses a serious threat to Asian seabass at all stages of culture. Cases of SDDV-related mortality have been reported in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia [13]. Due to severe economic losses from SDDV with more than 80% production mortalities, at least two large seabass farms—one in Indonesia and one in Singapore— shut down their operations. Smaller farms are either diverting away from Asian seabass in sea-cage farming or transitioning to land-based ponds to farm Asian seabass, adopting strict biosecurity practices and water quality management to reduce the risk of SDDV.

In recent years, Malaysia’s hatcheries have experienced escalating impacts from VNN outbreaks, leading to shortages in the supply of juveniles for various finfish species including Asian seabass, snapper, threadfin, grouper, and pompano [14]. This shortage has affected Singaporean farms, making it difficult for them to secure new seed stock amidst a surge in juvenile prices. Despite paying premium prices, farms face the risk of receiving VNN-positive carriers, which can potentially lead to a total stock wipeout within the first week after stocking. Nevertheless, farms have no option but to accept these biosecurity risks in a bid to continue their operations. Low water quality in the Johor Straits, together with nutrient pollution due to unregulated feeding practices, also influences disease occurrence [4].

3.4. Quality Seedstock

Many marine larviculture hatcheries face the risk of inbreeding due to the lack of robust programs to refresh the genetic diversity of their broodstock populations. This is evident in several cultured species, where reduced broodstock fecundity, slower growth rates in offspring, and smaller fish sizes are being observed in aquaculture production. This trend is concerning as it threatens the genetic diversity and long-term sustainability of marine aquaculture. However, most traditional hatcheries lack the technical expertise and resources to implement genetic programs to maintain broodstock diversity, even as the industry heavily relies on them for regional and global seed stock supply.

Currently, most fingerlings for marine aquaculture in Singapore are sourced from neighbouring countries and are often subject to suboptimal transport conditions, leading to high mortalities. To add to this challenge, the genetic background and pathogenic load of these fingerlings is typically unknown, and therefore, farmers do not have robust quality control on their seedstock when stocking. Considering that a dedicated breeding facility requires substantial capital and operating costs to set up and run, it is impractical for kelongs to invest in such facilities. With our ongoing red snapper genetics project funded by the Singapore Food Story R&D program, we experienced this as a major bottleneck first hand. It took us more than 6 months to identify local as well as regional importers of red snapper fingerlings and survival at stocking revealed a high variability in quality. The sole Singapore based supplier of red snapper fingerlings has since shut down, validating the real challenges faced in operating such facilities by private entities.

3.5. Environmental Impact

There is an urgent need for comprehensive studies evaluating the environmental impact of aquaculture including nutrient pollution from uneaten fish feed and waste, which remains a major concern [15]. In the coming years, there is a need for the aquaculture sector to balance productivity with sustainability to ensure that the marine biodiversity is not compromised. This includes preventing farmed fish from escaping into the natural ecosystem and adopting sustainable practices [4].

4. Possible Solutions

4.1. National Hatchery

To ensure a consistent supply of high-quality fingerlings for local farms, a dedicated national breeding and hatchery centre is desirable. Currently, SFA’s Marine Aquaculture Centre (MAC) on St John’s Island has an existing small-scale broodstock facility for Asian sea bass. Expanding this facility, along with establishing a similar setup for key local aquaculture species, is important to ensure quality and reliable produce. A major initiative in this direction is AquaPolis, which aims to set up a research program as well as a hatchery technology centre suitable for tropical marine fish. Funded by the Singapore Food Story R&D program, this consortium is expected to involve close collaboration between local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and fish farms, with the broader aim of boosting local aquaculture production. The hatchery centre, when set up, is expected to have state-of-the-art technology to produce brine shrimp and other live feeds for newly hatched fish [16]. In addition to this national resource managed by the SFA, it might be worthwhile exploring setting up additional broodstock and pathogen-free certified hatchery centres either in Singapore or neighbouring countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. IHLs could partner with farms to aid in the running of such centres, which would serve as a backup and further ensure a steady supply of fingerlings. To boost production, genetic selective breeding for aquaculture traits such as growth, disease tolerance, and fillet quality in such breeding centres could also be implemented on a routine basis. Many genetic and genomic resources are available for Asian seabass including a high-quality reference genome that could be leveraged to implement the cost-effective genotyping solutions needed to allow for the selection of commercially relevant aquaculture traits [17,18,19,20,21,22].

4.2. Innovative Farming Techniques and Water Quality Management

Traditional farmers should adopt a (RASs) together with vertical farming where possible to overcome space constraints and better manage biosecurity. This would also allow the farms to have higher stocking density as well as better control over the water quality, thus reducing disease outbreaks and improving productivity. To achieve this, the challenge of specific pathogen free (SPF) seedstock supply needs to be addressed as a priority. Farms can adopt advanced monitoring systems using IoT and AI to track water parameters and observe fish behaviour and feeding in real-time. This allows for the early detection of potential issues and timely interventions. Additionally, integrating seaweed cultivation can help absorb excess nutrients and improve water quality while providing an additional revenue stream [4].

4.3. Resource Management and Cost Reduction Strategies

To reduce costs, farms should focus on renewable energy sources such as solar panels to lower electricity expenses. Furthermore, the reliance on manpower can be reduced by adopting automation and robotics for feeding as well as surveillance. Better support can come to the farmers in the form of a central body to support farmers like the cooperative extension system in the United States of America, which helps in the dissemination of research conducted by American universities and provides a much-needed rapid pathogen diagnostic service to the farms [1]. Developing central local breeding facilities for fingerlings will also reduce the dependency on imports and associated costs. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) can provide grants to support these initiatives [6].

4.4. Skilled Manpower Development

Continued investment in education and training programs to develop and enhance the local expertise in aquaculture technology and management is important. Collaboration between industry and educational institutions can create specialised courses and internships to attract young talent to the sector. Additionally, the government can offer incentives for hiring and training local workers to reduce the reliance on foreign labour. Increased focus on upskilling current kelong farmers in biosecurity, better feed management practices, and general husbandry can also help increase the productivity of farms.

5. Sustainable Practices

Adopting sustainable practices is key to minimising the environmental impact of aquaculture. Farms should use eco-friendly feed options, such as insect- as well as plant-based proteins, and implement waste management systems to reduce nutrient pollution. Developing and using disease-resistant fish strains through selective breeding can also improve the survival rates and reduce the need for chemical treatments [4,12].

6. Research and Development

Continuous research and development (R&D) are crucial for the advancement of aquaculture. Government agencies, academic institutions, and private companies have an opportunity to collaborate on R&D projects focused on improving aquaculture practices, developing new technologies, and finding innovative solutions to existing challenges. Funding for R&D can be provided through grants and public–private partnerships [23]. In 2021, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) awarded over SGD $23 million in funding to twelve projects under the grant call for research and development (R&D) in ‘Sustainable Urban Food Production’, of which eight were in the domain of aquaculture and four in urban agriculture. Spanning key research areas of aquaculture such as genetics, disease and health management, systems and conditions for optimisation as well as nutrition, it may take several years before a tangible impact on aquaculture production is realised from these efforts. Singapore should strive to pursue arrangements with countries who have had a head start in aquaculture and are good role models such as Australia and Norway and leverage on their knowledge and expertise.

7. Current Status of Singapore’s Aquaculture Sector

Singapore’s aquaculture sector is undergoing significant transformation to achieve the “30 by 30” food security goal, aiming to locally produce 30% of its nutritional needs by 2030 [1,4]. The sector is embracing cutting-edge technologies such as recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs), which help in promoting water recycling and improve sustainability by reducing waste. Additionally, there is a growing focus on sustainable fish feed alternatives including insect-based and plant-based feeds to reduce the environmental impact and lessen the dependence on traditional marine feedstock. As space is limited in the urban environment, the sector is turning to vertical farming, offshore fish farms, and floating aquaculture platforms, which optimize space and enhance production capacity. Singapore is also making substantial investments in research, particularly in genomics and breeding, to improve species productivity, disease resistance, and overall efficiency. The sector is becoming more interconnected globally, with increased partnerships and shared research efforts, particularly with neighbouring countries, to foster knowledge exchange, reduce import dependence, and scale up production. To further support the industry’s growth, the government has introduced a regulatory framework focused on biosecurity, disease control, and the integration of renewable energy solutions like solar-powered aquaculture systems to reduce the carbon footprint. These innovations, along with a focus on collaboration and sustainability, position Singapore as a leading global hub for urban aquaculture, offering scalable and environmentally responsible solutions that can be adopted by other resource-constrained regions around the world [3,6,16].

8. SWOT Matrix of Singapore’s Aquaculture Sector

8.1. Strengths

Singapore’s aquaculture sector is strongly focused on research and development, particularly in genetics, health, nutrition, recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS)s, and digital technologies to enhance efficiency, sustainability, and resilience. The government’s “30 by 30” initiative aims to locally produce 30% of the country’s nutritional needs by 2030, with grants and funding supporting innovation in aquaculture. Singapore’s emphasis on sustainability, modern technologies like vertical farming and smart monitoring, and the involvement of Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), position the country as a leader in aquaculture innovation. Additionally, Singapore’s strategic coastal location and efficient port infrastructure allow for rapid integration into global supply chains, facilitating aquaculture expansion [2,16,24,25].

8.2. Weakness

Singapore’s aquaculture sector faces several challenges including high operational costs due to advanced technology requirements, limited space, and energy dependence, which reduce its price competitiveness [24]. The industry also relies heavily on imported feedstock and fingerlings, making it vulnerable to supply chain disruptions [2]. Additionally, a shortage of local skilled manpower results in dependence on foreign labour, particularly in specialised fields like marine biology and biotechnology [25]. Environmental sustainability concerns, such as water pollution and waste management, further complicate the sector’s growth, while limited land and marine resources constrain large-scale farming expansion.

8.3. Opportunities

By establishing a national hatchery to produce high-quality, resilient marine finfish juveniles, Singapore can leverage its strategic global air transportation network to supply marine finfish seed stock to international markets, positioning itself as a potential leader in the marine hatchery sector. Since hatcheries require significantly less real estate space compared to large-scale aquaculture grow-out facilities, investments in this area align well with Singapore’s limited land and sea space. Additionally, Singapore can explore partnerships with neighbouring countries or private entities to establish satellite aquaculture facilities abroad for the grow-out phase, with contractual arrangements to supply seafood back to Singapore. This approach ensures sustainable seafood production costs while generating job opportunities in aquaculture for both Singaporeans and local workers in the host countries.

Singapore’s aquaculture sector has further opportunities for growth such as leveraging its technological innovations for export to other densely populated cities focused on sustainable urban farming. Collaborative research and shared hatcheries with neighbouring countries can reduce the reliance on imports. The growing global demand for sustainably farmed seafood positions Singapore to cater to niche markets with high-quality, eco-friendly products [2]. Additionally, innovation in sustainable practices such as using alternative feed sources and closed-loop systems as well as diversification into species like crustaceans or high-value ornamental fish can further enhance the sector’s market reach and resilience through regional and global collaboration.

8.4. Threats

Singapore’s aquaculture sector faces several threats including strong competition from lower-cost regional producers like Malaysia and Indonesia, limiting its price competitiveness [2,24]. Environmental challenges, such as water pollution, disease outbreaks, and biosecurity risks, threaten the viability of intensive farming systems. Additionally, rising energy costs and climate change effects including rising sea temperatures and extreme weather further strain operational budgets and impact fish health and yields. Stringent regulations on land use and environmental management also add complexity to expanding or launching new ventures, increasing costs and delays.

9. Conclusions

Singapore’s aquaculture sector faces significant challenges including limited space, water quality issues, disease, high operating costs, manpower shortages, and environmental impact. However, with innovative farming techniques, effective water quality management, cost reduction strategies, skilled manpower development, sustainable practices, and continuous R&D, these challenges can be addressed. Achieving the “30 by 30” goal will require a concerted effort from the government, industry, and academia, but with the right strategies in place, Singapore can enhance its food security and create a sustainable aquaculture industry for the future.