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Online 14 May 05 Cobia bred off St John's Island hits local fish markets By Patricia Yap 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 14m in diameter and 7m to 8m in depth — compared to the conventional 3m depth. Within nine to 12 months, the fish were able to grow to 6kg and had a survival rate of over 90 per cent. 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 per cent 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 kilograms. 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. links Related articles on Wild shores on Singapore status, issues, discussions Singapore's biodiversity status, threats, commercial applications of biodiversity |
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