World Aquaculture Singapore 2022
A*STAR, together with the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), local Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), and local aquaculture farms, was part of the inaugural World Aquaculture Singapore (WAS) conference and tradeshow!
World Aquaculture Singapore 2022 took place from 29 November to 2 December 2022 at the Singapore EXPO and the theme was ‘Next Generation Aquaculture: Innovation and Sustainability will Feed the World’. The aquaculture international community gathered to share ideas and discuss the latest trends and developments of aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the rest of the world, from breeding and genetics to sustainable development of aquaculture.
The welcome address and plenary session on 30 November featured Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, as the Guest-of-Honour, and Dr Matthias Halwart from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Fisheries and Aquaculture.
A*STAR's EXHIBIT AT THE SINGAPORE PAVILION
(Photo credit: Singapore Food Agency)
Minister for Sustainability and the Environment, Ms Grace Fu, and Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, Dr Koh Poh Koon, toured A*STAR’s exhibits at the Singapore Pavilion at WAS 2022.
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A*STAR’s exhibits at WAS 2022.
The Guest-of-Honour Ms Grace Fu, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment visited our booth to better understand how A*STAR's capabilities in aquaculture will help local fish farms harness technologies that can make their farms more sustainable and resilient.
A*STAR is working with ecosystem partners to develop innovative technologies that will help to advance the aquaculture industry and contribute to achieving Singapore's food security goal of producing 30% of our nutritional needs locally by the year 2030.
Official Launch of the On-site Rapid Vibrio Sensor
Vibrio is a bacteria that can cause severe disease outbreaks in aquaculture farms, causing farmers to incur substantial financial losses. A*STAR researchers from the Institute of Material Research and Engineering (IMRE) have developed the On-site Rapid Vibrio Sensor using nano-particle technology.
Unlike conventional lab-based diagnostic methods that typically take 24 hours to produce results, this handheld sensor can be used directly by farmers to provide a readout of the level of Vibrio present in the waters within 30 minutes.
By accelerating the detection of Vibrio in their farms, aquaculture farmers can apply early intervention strategies to prevent costly outbreaks. This technology is licensed to AR BioTech, an A*STAR spin-off.
Advancing Research in Waste-to-Value Transformation in Aquaculture
With a vision of making the aquaculture industry more sustainable, A*STAR researchers from the Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation (SIFBI) have developed a microbial conversion platform that can transform cellulosic waste streams into Single-Cell Protein (SCP) and Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) feedstock for use as aquafeed ingredients.
The team will be showcasing a variety of waste streams samples and BSFL to illustrate how waste is used as a feedstock for the cultivation of BSFL, which is later processed as an ingredient for aquafeed. Due to its high protein content, BSFL is a good
substitute for fishmeal, which are typically produced from wild-caught fish and bycatch, thereby making the aquaculture industry more sustainable amidst depleting fish populations in the wild.
Our Multi-Disciplinary Capabilities in Aquaculture
Some of our innovations include:
- Biotransformation Capability for Aquafeed Ingredients
- Rapid and Portable Biological Sensors for On-Farm Monitoring
- Environmentally Safe Antimicrobial and Antiviral Biopolymers
- High-Throughput Zebrafish Screening Platform for Nutrition and Microbiome Discovery
- Multi-Physics Water Treatment for Recirculating Aquaculture Systems
Find out how A*STAR researchers use Material Science and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help aquaculture farmers manage disease outbreaks and optimise their farm operations!
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS BY A*STAR'S RESEARCHERS
Across the 3-day event, our researchers shared about their innovative solutions to drive the Aquaculture industry to be more sustainable and insights on key trends and concerns in the Asia-Pacific region.
Dr Caroline Lei Wee, IMCB, presented her research findings on using cortisol, a stress hormone, as an indicator for health and welfare monitoring in Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer).
Dr Ken Loh, SIgN, shared about the use of genetic sequencing to analyse Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer) immune responses to pathogen infections and its potential to be used in genetic selection for disease resistance.
Dr Eric Charles Peterson (left) and Dr Christian Hermansen (right), SIFBI, co-chairing the “Feedstuffs and Feed Additives” session. They also shared about building a microbial bioconversion platform that can convert waste sidestreams into single-cell protein for use as an aquafeed ingredient.
Dr Rosmin Elsa, IHPC, shared insights on the manipulation of UV-vis intensity to optimise light irradiance for land-based algae production and energy efficiency.
A*STAR celebrates International Women's Day
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