What Form Of Farming Are We Doing

There are four main types of agriculture:

Shifting cultivation

Wet rice cultivation

Plantation agriculture

High-technology farming

   

   We choose high-tech farming as Singapore is a land-scarce country and the other options would require a reasonably large plot of land to be carried out. Under aquaculture, also known as foodfish farming, there are a few types of ways in rearing fishes:

(1)   Brood stock management

Brood stock Management involves selective breeding of brood stocks comprising of different species of tropical marine foodfish. This segment is carried out at a Float-cage Fish Culture Farm on the straits of Johor.

   This places great emphasis on natural spawning and in maintaining superior breeds of broodstocks, thereby ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality fertilised fish eggs/hatchlings that can be successfully raised to maturity. The farm produces approximately 100-200 million fertilized eggs every month.

For example, Swee Chioh Aquaculture has successfully bred over 20 different species of foodfish in captivity.

Examples include:-

• Golden Toothless Trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus)
• Big-Eye Trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus)
• Fourfinger Threadfin (Eleutheronema tetradactylum)
• King Grouper (Promicrops lanceolatus)
• Brown Marble Grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus)
• Greasy Grouper (Epinephelus coiodes)  
• Polka-Dot Grouper (Cromileptis altivelis)
• Black Kingfish (Ranchycentron canadus)
• Emperor Snapper (Lutjanus sebae)
• Red Snapper (Lutjanus erythropterus)
• Golden Snapper (Lutjanus johnii)
• Mangrove Red Snapper (Lutjanus argentimaculatus)
• White-Spotted Snapper (Lutjanus stellatus)
• Seabass (Lates calcarifer)
• Spotted Croaker (Protonibea diacanthus)
• Batfish (Platax orbicularis)

   New species of foodfish have been constantly introduced for captivity and/or as new potential spawners. R&D activities are vital to improve and refine skills in selective spawning.

(2) Hatchery & nursery

Hatchery/nursery operates over a farm location inland with the capacity to produce millions of fingerlings per year.

   Embarking on an ecological approach to its cultural methodologies, Aquacultures constantly fine-tune to ensure consistency in quantity and quality. Good husbandry practices and proper nutrition are keys in strengthening immune system in fish. Aquacultures also employ scientific methods to aid in understanding and identifying the unique larval dynamics, growth patterns and physiology/behaviour of different foodfish species so that the best nutrition and ecological environment can be emulated.

   Frys and fingerlings produced at hatchery/nursery facilities are assured to be of immunity-enhanced and premium grade, consistent in both quantity and quality. The major species produced include Red Snapper, Golden Snapper, Golden Toothless Trevally, Big-Eye Trevally, Tiger Grouper and Fourfinger Threadfin.

(3) Extensive cage farming

Example:

   Building on the success of the hatchery's production which led to the consistent supply of foodfish fingerlings, We suggest the Aquaculture should embark on its first phrase of 50-hectare extensive net-cage farming off Pulau Ubin with the intent to produce high quality table-sized foodfish to both local and overseas markets. The Aquaculture has decided to construct 2 offshore extensive float-cage farms located off Pulau Ubin which produce 200 tonnes of table-sized foodfish annually.

   Other than its own net-cage farming activities, the Aquaculture plans to successfully established 3 franchised offshore extensive cage farms located off Pulau Ubin. The entire business proposition is based on an outsourced fish farming franchised model which will be its first of its kind in the region. This model provides investors with the opportunity to invest and participate in the aquaculture industry with moderate capital.

   Together with its franchised investors, production is expected to be at 500 tonnes in year 2012 and to double or triple depending on the performance of the franchised farms.