SINGAPORE \u2013 Singapore\u2019s first trout farm, which aims to eventually produce up to 3,000 tonnes of rainbow trout a year, has begun operations.<\/p>\n
Located in Neo Tiew Crescent in Lim Chu Kang, the 1.6ha land-based, high-tech facility will initially produce 1,200 tonnes of the fish a year, said Blue Aqua International, the shrimp aquaculture technology company behind the new farm, on June 4.<\/p>\n
It aims to ramp up production to 3,000 tonnes per year in 2028, group executive chairman and founder Farshad Shishehchian told The Straits Times. Singapore\u2019s seafood production in 2025 was 3,800 tonnes.<\/p>\n
The farm could contribute towards the Republic\u2019s revised goal of producing 30 per cent of its local protein needs \u2013 a category that comprises both eggs and seafood \u2013 by 2035, said the company.<\/p>\n
The latest development shows continued interest by companies in food production in Singapore despite the setbacks plaguing the sector, with several farm closures reported since 2022<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n Rainbow trout is a cold-water species that is traditionally farmed in regions like Europe and North America. But instead of relying entirely on imports, the local farm can offer a fresher and more resilient alternative, said Blue Aqua.<\/p>\n Farshad added that rainbow trout is a premium, nutritious fish that is widely accepted among consumers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is rich in protein and Omega-3, and has a clean taste profile,\u201d he said, adding that the trout industry is mature.<\/p>\n To breed the sensitive cold-water species in a tropical climate, the farm has to maintain a stable and highly controlled environment, which includes keeping the water cold and maintaining high dissolved oxygen levels.<\/p>\n To achieve this, the facility uses an advanced recirculating aquaculture system technology, which is a land-based method that continuously filters and reuses water in a controlled environment so that temperature, water quality and biosecurity can be closely managed regardless of the climate outside.<\/p>\n Such systems allow fish to be cultivated in controlled indoor environments and are suitable for farms with limited space and manpower.<\/p>\n \u201cBy producing a premium fish species locally and year round, the farm strengthens supply resilience and shortens the chain between production and consumer,\u201d said Blue Aqua.<\/p>\n About $35 million has been invested in the trout farm, said Farshad, adding that the farm is part of Blue Aqua\u2019s investment of $45 million to grow its aquaculture operations here. The Singapore Food Agency also provided support to the company via the Agri-Food Cluster Transformation Fund.<\/p>\n Further investment will be deployed progressively as the farm moves from commissioning to production ramp-up and eventually full capacity, said Farshad, noting that the farm represents a major part of the overall investment programme because of its specialised infrastructure.<\/p>\n Blue Aqua also operates a shrimp farm and hatchery here.<\/p>\n Founder Farshad Shishehchian at Blue Aqua\u2019s indoor rainbow trout farm facility on June 4.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n While the company is prioritising the production of rainbow trout for the local market, it hopes to eventually scale up and export the premium trout to some regional markets where demand for premium fresh seafood is growing, said Farshad.<\/p>\n Blue Aqua had announced in January 2022 that the farm would be slated to operate in 2023.<\/p>\n When queried on the delay of the opening, Farshad said it was due to several factors, including the complexity of designing a cold-water recirculating aquaculture system in a tropical environment, as well as engineering and construction challenges.<\/p>\n He added that the original timeline was \u201cambitious\u201d.<\/p>\n The local farming sector has been gripped by closures and falling output, with reasons cited for farm closures including high capital and energy costs, high operating costs and weakened investor confidence.<\/p>\n To farm the sensitive cold-water species in a tropical climate, the farm has to maintain a stable and highly controlled environment.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Farshad said his company\u2019s profitability will hinge on technology, scale and strong operational control.<\/p>\n He added that the model is based on high production density on limited land, year-round production independent of weather, controlled water quality, reduced biosecurity risks, improved freshness and strong harvest planning.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile land-based farming has higher capital and utility costs, the farm is designed to offset this through scale, productivity, premium positioning, predictable production and strong operational control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Blue Aqua is also exploring clean-energy partnerships to improve its farm\u2019s energy and carbon efficiency over time.<\/p>\n To farm rainbow trout in Singapore, aquaculture technology firm Blue Aqua International uses recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology to recreate the cold, clean conditions that the fish need to thrive. The water is cleaned, treated, cooled and reused throughout the farm.<\/p>\n 1. Egg entry:<\/b> Trout eggs enter through a dedicated egg entry room. There are up to 360,000 eggs per batch.<\/p>\n 2. Hatchery:<\/b> The eggs do not hatch until after a fixed number of days; their development depends on water temperature. Colder water slows development, while warmer water speeds it up.<\/p>\n 3. After hatching:<\/b> The young fish live off their yolk sac before starting to feed.<\/p>\n 4. and 5. Juvenile stage:<\/b> The fish are transferred into larger tanks. As they grow, they are again moved into larger tanks to promote even growth and reduce competition.<\/p>\n 6. Grow-out tanks:<\/b> The trout are transferred into the main RAS production tanks, where they spend most of their lives \u2013 three to five months \u2013 growing to harvest size of about 500g to 600g. Rainbow trout typically take about 10 to 18 months to reach market size \u2013 up to 2kg \u2013 depending on factors such as water temperature, feed and genetics.<\/p>\n 7. Drum filtration:<\/b> Used water leaving the tanks is filtered to remove uneaten feed and solid waste.<\/p>\n 8. Biofilter:<\/b> The water then flows through biological filtration systems, where beneficial bacteria convert ammonia produced by the fish into less harmful compounds.<\/p>\n 9. Oxygenation:<\/b> More oxygen is added back into the water to maintain the high oxygen levels required by rainbow trout.<\/p>\n 10. UV disinfection:<\/b> Before returning to the fish, the water passes through an ultraviolet disinfection system that eliminates 99 per cent of harmful micro-organisms and supports farm biosecurity.<\/p>\n 11. Purging tank:<\/b> Fish is purged here (removing its musty taste, for example) before being processed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 Singapore\u2019s first trout farm, which aims to eventually produce up to 3,000 tonnes of rainbow trout a year, has begun operations. Located in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":58105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-58104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=58104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/58105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=58104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=58104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=58104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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