Lessons in heritage and diversity from wet markets

Tours organised by 2 seafood lovers aim to raise awareness of sustainable consumption

- Ang Qing

Just like how the depths of the deep sea are home to strange, little-known creatures, Singapore's wet markets also dazzle visitors with a rich diversity of seafood.

Even after spending a year surveying the seafood sections of markets here, Mr Elliott James Ong and Mr Kenny Lek say there are fish they have seen only once.

United by a love for seafood, the pair founded Pasarfish in 2024. It is an initiative that researches and teaches the sustainable consumption and heritage of seafood sold in supermarkets and wet markets.

Despite the long tradition of Singapore's wet markets, little is known about the rich variety of catches that these ageing facilities showcase, with the last catalogue compiled in the 1990s by the Primary Production Department.

Mr Ong, 29, and Mr Lek, 33, started compiling their own catalogue from June 2024 to fill this gap in knowledge.

"Knowing the identities of these fish and their abundance allows us to track their origins, fishing methods and sustainability," said Mr Ong.

Pasarfish marries the co-founders' seemingly incompatible passions of food and conservation by advocating for consumption of seafood that does not drive marine life to the brink of extinction.

As at July, Pasarfish has collected data on more than 200 species sold in markets here, with the hope of pushing for more traceability and sustainability assessments of Singapore's seafood supply chains.

Of all the creatures catalogued from their visits, a strange golden fish from a small bucket at Tekka Market in Little India stands out.