74 MARCH 2026 • WORLD AQUACULTURE • WWW.WAS.ORG dependent on natural environmental conditions, with output closely tied to water quality, weather conditions, and seasonal variability. Rapid urbanisation from the 1980s onwards reshaped the sector. Coastal space became increasingly contested as land reclamation progressed alongside port expansion, industrial development, and residential growth. Water quality also became more variable and less predictable, and farms faced higher risks of disease outbreaks, oil spills, harmful algal blooms, and episodic low dissolved oxygen events. These pressures underscored the vulnerability of offshore and coastal production systems to environmental shocks and stressors. Policy thinking evolved in parallel, gradually repositioning aquaculture from a marginal coastal activity to a strategic component of national food resilience. This shift recognised that future growth of the sector would require more advanced practices and stronger environmental control shaping Singapore’s move away from reliance on natural systems toward more controlled, technologyenabled models. Farming approaches have consequently evolved toward intensification, productivity improvement, and stronger biosecurity. Farms are encouraged to upgrade infrastructure, adopt more controlled, closed-containment production models, and invest in husbandry practices, supported by targeted policy incentives and R&D investments. This transition remains a work-in-progress. Current State of the Industry Singapore’s aquaculture industry today comprises both coastal sea-based and land-based farms. In 2024, Singapore seafood production was approximately 3,500 metric tonnes (SFA, 2024) of seafood, accounting for about 6.1 per cent of national seafood consumption. While modest in absolute terms, this output provides a local buffer against supply chain disruptions and contributes meaningfully to national food resilience. Key farmed species include Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer), red snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus), various grouper species (Epinephelus spp.), marine tilapia (Oreochromis spp.), and white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) (SFA, 2024). Some farms also Singapore will host the World Aquaculture Society conference in 2026, drawing global attention to a country seldom associated with seafood production. For a small, resource-constrained city-state, this moment is significant. It highlights a distinctive aquaculture strategy — one that builds resilience through innovation and capability, rather than through expansion of acreage and labour. Singapore imports more than 90% of its food, and seafood is a staple of the local diet. At the same time, global seafood supply chains are increasingly exposed to climate disruption, trans-boundary disease risks, and geopolitical uncertainty. To reduce this exposure, Singapore’s food resilience strategy positions aquaculture a key component of its “grow local” pillar, alongside other pillars such as diversifying imports, stockpiling, and global partnerships. Building Urban Aquaculture Capability Local farms operate under demanding conditions, including lack of space, high production costs, competition from lower-priced imports, and fluctuating water quality. These constraints have driven Singapore towards an innovation-led, R&D-driven approach to improve productivity, and growth performance. In parallel, support services disseminate practical know-how, raise on-farm husbandry standards, and provide veterinary and technical support. As the global aquaculture community gathers in Singapore in 2026, the local aquaculture ecosystem offers a timely case study: how tropical marine aquaculture can potentially be reimagined for urbanised, resource-limited contexts through research, technology deployment, and strong partnerships. Historical Context and Evolution of the Aquaculture Sector Aquaculture in Singapore began in the 1960s and 1970s with coastal fish farming along the island’s north-eastern and northwestern waters. Early farms relied on floating net cages and earthen ponds, cultivating several species such as milkfish, mullet, grouper, Asian seabass, and shrimp. These production systems were highly Singapore Aquaculture: From Coastal Farming to Building Capability and Long-Term Resilience in a City-State Mark Richards, Sharley Goi, Jun Hui Jiang, Rui Goncalves and Melvin Chow FIGURE 1. Snapshot of the Aquaculture Sensing Network dashboard. Photo credit: Singapore Food Agency.
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