Vertical fish farms may be housed at building rooftops or under flyovers, firm says

SINGAPORE — Rooftops, parks, and spaces under flyovers could see pockets of vertical fish farms in future, Surbana Jurong touted. The infrastructure consultancy firm said that it has worked with Singapore company Apollo Aquaculture Group to develop a system that could yield 5,000 tonnes of food fish per year, or six times that of a conventional fish farm with the same amount of space.

Unveiling this “floating ponds” concept at a press conference on Monday (Sept 4), Surbana Jurong, which is owned by Temasek Holdings, said that it had taken four years to develop the idea with Apollo Aquaculture Group, which already has a three-storey fish farm prototype that yields 110 tonnes of fish a year.

The new concept is designed to be self-sustainable through a closed-loop ecosystem. For instance, it will use solar panels to harness energy, and nutrient-rich wastewater from the tanks and rainwater can be funnelled to constructed wetlands to be treated.

Mr Wong Heang Fine, group chief executive officer of Surbana Jurong, said that such projects could help boost the “resilience” of Singapore’s food security, and provide a solution to land shortage issues, for instance.

Singapore sees 2.2 million tonnes in food demand yearly, but homegrown supply meets less than 10 per cent of the demand, an annual report by the Agri-food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) stated.

Mr Wong said: “Food tourism is the next (big) thing… If you can go to industrial areas to see (the food) being processed or grown, buy whatever you need, and (set up) restaurants… it creates a new experience.”

Surbana Jurong will be showcasing the concept in an exhibition organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority later this week.
The firm, which has offices in more than 40 countries, plans to also introduce this concept overseas, with a country in the Middle East having expressed an interest in it. Other countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and India, China are also keen on such technologies)
Separately, Surbana Jurong has been appointed by JTC Corporation to plan and design a poultry hub to be leased to a consortium group. The facility is now under construction in Singapore. Expected to be ready by the third quarter of 2018, it will handle the slaughtering and processing of live birds, including deboning, cutting and packaging.

Mr Eric Ng, group chief executive officer of Apollo Aquaculture Group, acknowledged that being able to locate vertical fish farms at places such as parks and under flyovers could “take some time”, given that they need to work together with the authorities on how to implement it. 
Responding to TODAY’s queries, the Building & Construction Authority said that before a rooftop is converted into a fish farm, the building owner will need to engage a professional engineer to conduct relevant checks, to see if the building can support the proposed use. “Where structural strengthening work is required, structural plan approval and a permit to commence work is required from BCA. Similar regulatory requirements apply to new buildings housing fish farms.”
An AVA spokesperson said that to enhance Singapore’s food security, it “encourages innovative farming methods and technologies that optimise land use and boost productivity of our farms”, but these methods and technologies “should meet all regulatory requirements”.