Singapore rainbow trout farm begins trial operation; market supply possible by year-end

Singapore's first rainbow trout farm has started trial operations, and the locally farmed fish could be on the table as soon as later this year.

Local aquaculture operator Blue Aqua held the opening ceremony on Thursday (June 4) at its rainbow trout farm on Liang Zhoufeng Harvest Lane in Lim Chu Kang, announcing that production will be expanded in phases. The farm's initial annual output is expected to reach 1,200 tonnes, with the potential to rise to 3,000 tonnes in the future.

This 1.6-hectare land-based farm cost about S$45 million. Because rainbow trout are cold-water fish with strict requirements for water temperature, water quality, and growing conditions, the operator uses an advanced recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), applying fully enclosed environmental control technology to precisely regulate temperature, water quality, and biosecurity in Singapore's tropical climate.

According to on-site observations, the farm's basic infrastructure is largely complete, but the tanks have not yet been filled with water. Blue Aqua founder Farshad Shishehchian said the company has already prepared fish eggs and needs only about 8 to 10 months to raise fish to around 500 grams.

He said the company hopes to start producing rainbow trout by the end of this year to test market response; the first batch of locally farmed trout is expected to weigh between 350 and 400 grams. As for initial output, he said it is still difficult to predict accurately and will require extensive testing and optimization. The result may far exceed expectations or fall short of them; essentially, it is an ongoing process of calibration and refinement.

Founded in 2009, Blue Aqua also operates a shrimp farm in the same area, with annual output of about 120 tonnes. Farshad noted that rainbow trout and shrimp are different species, each with its own farming challenges and advantages. Although rainbow trout farming requires higher upfront capital, the system is highly automated and combined with AI management technology, making precise operations easier.

Regarding the farm's future expansion, Farshad stressed that this is not an ordinary automated farm but a fully controlled aquaculture system with precise data, because the planning was designed based on actual production capacity calculations.

According to data released by the Singapore Food Agency in May, local fish farms produced 3,800 tonnes of seafood last year, up 8.6% from 3,500 tonnes the year before, but that was only about 2.7% of the nation's seafood supply. Seafood imports rose from 124,600 tonnes to 138,000 tonnes, highlighting Singapore's heavy dependence on imports for food.

The number of local farms has declined for five consecutive years

Overall, the operating environment for local farms remains difficult, and the number of farms has declined for five consecutive years. Official data show that the number of sea-based fish farms has continued to shrink since 2022, falling from 109 to 67 last year. Land-based farms have been relatively stable, with 34 as of 2024.

Blue Ocean Aquaculture Technology also operates an indoor land-based fish farm. Managing director Wong Yik Seng previously said indoor fish farming has relatively high operating costs, and if it cannot break even over the long term, it will eventually be eliminated by the market.

Farshad said the company has gone through failures and lessons learned, and will use that experience to avoid repeating mistakes. He said the company has carefully calculated the cost-benefit balance and is confident it can price locally farmed rainbow trout below imported trout, improving competitiveness in the market.