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.