From the kelong to your table - the cobia

July 25, 2008

Premium fish used in yusheng now farmed here as part of AVA's project to cut reliance on imports
The Changi Fishery off Pulau Ubin netting its first successful harvest of cobia (above). The fish is eaten raw in Japanese restaurants or in yusheng, the Chinese New Year fish salad. The AVA had been trying to breed this species of fish since 2005. -- ST PHOTOS: FRANCIS ONG

HAULING IT IN: The Changi Fishery off Pulau Ubin netting its first successful harvest of cobia. The fish (above) is eaten raw in Japanese restaurants or in yusheng, the Chinese New Year fish salad. The AVA had been trying to breed this species of fish since 2005. -- ST PHOTOS: FRANCIS ONG

FRESH from last year's success with locally bred sea bass, Singapore's growers are ready to harvest another variety of farmed fish from Singapore waters.

The cobia, also known as the black kingfish, ling, or lemon fish, is among the six species of fish identified as suitable for local farming by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).

About eight tonnes of the fish are ready for harvest. This means that Singapore can significantly cut back on imports, a key aim of the programme to farm fish here. Forty tonnes of cobia were brought in from Taiwan and Vietnam last year.

The cobia is the sixth species of fish researched, reared and found suitable by the AVA to be introduced to local farmers since the 1970s.

The others are the sea bass, the four-finger threadfin, two species of grouper and mangrove red snapper.

The sea bass was the most recently harvested, having had its turn last October. The others were harvested earlier.

The AVA, meanwhile, is looking into introducing new species to fish farms here.

The crimson red snapper, a popular fish in Singapore, is next on its list. Singapore consumes about 89,000 tonnes of fresh fish a year. More than 90 per cent of this comes from farms mainly in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, as well as from fishing vessels from around the world.
The rest comes from farms in Singapore and local fishermen.

The AVA had said in the past that it hoped offshore farms would increase their contribution to 40 per cent, but The Straits Times understands that this target is currently being reviewed.

The cobia is eaten raw in Japanese restaurants and has been offered in hotels as part of the tossed fish salad, or yusheng, during Chinese New Year.

Ms Wee Joo Yong, the head of research at the AVA's Marine Aquaculture Centre, said: 'The demand is still from a niche market but, with increased availability, we expect its popularity will grow to reach the mass market.'

The AVA has been trying to breed cobia, a premium fish much in demand in many parts of the world, since 2005.

The first batch of the locally bred fish will be harvested from the Changi Fishery, a 10-minute boat ride from the mainland.

Its general manager, Ms Rosemary Lau, 45, one of the few women in the aquaculture industry, runs the kelong for her surgeon husband.

Ms Lau said that consumers could expect the price of her 'farm-fresh' fish to be about the same as the current listed price of $45 a kilo for imported chilled cobia.
But she added a sweetener: 'Our initial price to restaurants will be about half that, to promote it.'

skesava@sph.com.sg

For 4N1 and 4N2, I just finished the topic on factors affecting food productivity, and one of the factors is technology. This article is a good example of blue revolution. Singapore is doing research on rearing some of the more popular fish and cobia is the most recent success story. Singapore tries to reduce import of fish by rearing her own. We also learnt that overfishing is a problem and if we don't do anything about it, soon fish will become extinct.

3EA Collaboration Essay Writing

Case Study: Deforestation in Kalimantan, Indonesia.

Refer to your textbook page 93 under the ‘Quiz’ section. In groups of 4 or 5 (I've done the grouping for you), complete this assignment using google doc. Look at the scoring rubric below for reference. Marks will be allocated as part of your CA. An invitation email has been sent to you to work on this assignment, deadline is 11 August 2008. Have fun collaborating!

(1-2m) State the causes of and problems caused by deforestation.
(3-4m) Describe the causes of and problems caused by deforestation.
(5-6m) Explain the causes of and problems caused by deforestation.
(7-8m) Explain the causes of and problems by deforestation and rank them in importance.
(9-10m) Explain the causes of and problems by deforestation and rank them in importance with a sound conclusion.

Baby, come back

Excerpt from article, "Baby, come back" on 12 July, ST

Twenty years have passed since Singapore introduced policies to encourage parenthood. But they have yet to produce the desired result, a situation that looks set to bring even more incentives.

On Wednesday, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew hinted that the Government is looking at giving free childcare and paid paternity leave - measures that depart from its longstanding frugal stance against dispensing freebies.

The possibility of paid paternity leave is also a shift in the country's traditionally matriarchal approach towards parenthood. Currently, fathers get three days' leave when their child is born while mothers get three months of paid maternity leave.
But the parenthood picture is dire.

Since 1976, or 32 years ago, Singaporeans have failed to produce enough babies to maintain the population.

On average, 2.1 births per woman are needed to prevent the population from shrinking in the long run. This works out to 60,000 babies a year.

But the numbers tend to hover below 40,000. Last year, 39,490 children were born here - just two-thirds of what is required. Even so, one-quarter of them have non-Singaporean fathers.
Demographers warn that the gap carries a risk.

Explaining in terms of fertility rates, they note that Singapore's resident total fertility rate is now 1.29.

Although it is above the record low of 1.26 in 2003, it is still below 1.3, a figure that holds 'a special mathematical portent' for them, says an article in The New York Times.
'At that rate, a country's population would be cut in half in 45 years, creating a falling-off-a-cliff effect from which it would be nearly impossible to recover,' it says.

What this means is the population would have shrunk past the point of no return.

It is a future that could be hastened by a double whammy that will never go away.
One is the greying of the baby-boomers who form about a quarter of the population.
Their ageing will see deaths exceeding births in 20 years' time, predicts statistician Paul Cheung, Singapore's former chief statistician who is now director of the United Nations Statistics Division.

The other is the mounting number of younger Singaporeans heading overseas to live and work.

xueying@sph.com.sg

Recently, the government has again come to this very important topic of procreation. Singporeans are still not having enough babies. We learnt about the reasons for the low birth rate in Social Studies. Check out the current birthrate and you'll realise we've not even hit the replacement rate. This will lead to problems like ageing population and the loss of a dynamic workforce.

MM Lee said perhaps we need to adopt the Swedish way to encourage births. What is the Swedish way?

What will make Singporeans have more babies? Do share about your thoughts under comments.

Where the Hell is Matt?

This video is so well-done! It's so funny watching people all over the world dancing this way. For those who are studying globalisation in SS, you now see evidence here as well. Check out whether you know these countries that Matt went to. 

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.