Aquaculture operations in East Johor Strait to be expanded from 2026

SFA is planning to raise local production of seafood there to a maximum of 6,700 tonnes yearly

- Ang Qing

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is planning to expand aquaculture operations in the East Johor Strait to raise local production of seafood there to a maximum of 6,700 tonnes annually.

This is more than the amount of seafood produced by the whole of Singapore, which was 4,100 tonnes in 2023, according to the latest food statistics. That accounted for 7.3 per cent of total seafood consumed here at the time.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, SFA said on May 16 that these farming spaces will be progressively released for tender from 2026.

These will be located in the waters off Pasir Ris, Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong, spanning a total area of 117ha, or 27 times the size of the Padang field.

These spaces are currently occupied by more than 30 farms that primarily adopt open-cage farming, where livestock is reared in the sea.

Observers of the aquaculture industry welcomed the plan for more spaces to boost Singapore's flagging fish industry, but pressed for more clarity about the kind of farms that will be tendered, as these will impact the sustainability of production.

The spaces will make more "good waters" available for aquaculture, said Mr Ken Cheong, chief executive of the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation, which focuses on improving productivity and farming standards of coastal fish farms.