Most fish in Singapore are reared in net cages submerged in the sea. But these open-net cage systems leave the fish susceptible to the elements. Over the past five years, Singapore’s fish farmers have seen an oil spill and two harmful algae blooms kill off tonnes of fish. Closed containment aquaculture systems could solve this problem. Unlike net cages, these systems separate the water where the fish are kept from the water in the natural environment. These can be tanks placed in barges or on land. Singapore is now looking into how more coastal farms can use such systems “to safeguard farm production from adverse environmental changes and minimise detrimental impact on farm productivity”, said AVA. In Norway, which has a booming aquaculture industry, farms already use similar closed containment systems to rear salmon. There are two main types of closed containment systems – the flowthrough and the recirculated aquaculture systems. In Apr 2015, AVA awarded a tender to five companies to design and develop closed containment aquaculture systems. AVA told ST it has been working with the companies on their projects, including providing technical assistance.... Continue Reading