Partners:
National University of Singapore (NUS)
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI), Israel
Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB), A*Star
Sustainable Aquaculture Technology Centre (SATC), Republic Polytechnic
Fraunhofer Singapore Research Centre @ NTU (FSR@NTU)
Collaborators:
Ruppin Academic Center, Israel
Volcani Institute- Agricultural Research Organization, Israel
Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), A*Star
Singapore Aquaculture Technologies (SAT) Pte Ltd
Lead PIs:
Prof. Berta Levavi-Sivan- Department of Animal Sciences, HUJI, Israel
Prof. Christoph Winkler- Department of Biological Sciences, NUS, Singapore
Background:
The main challenge in Singapore’s food production and security is maximizing productivity while conserving energy. Fish make up a key nutritional component in Singapore, for both its high nutritional value and the opportunity to produce local food in the sea. Despite a growing population and seafood consumption, local fish production remains low. With experts from Singapore and Israel coming together, and collaborating with local aquaculture enterprises and government agencies, SAS-C is confident that we will solve pressing issues currently affecting Singapore’s aquaculture industry.
Aims:
The program aims to develop Singapore’s mariculture to the next level to increase productivity and efficiency. SAS-C will focus on improving health and survival of early life stages, alleviating stress and improving reproduction and hatchery practices towards sustainable production. Through interdisciplinary research and implementation with industrial collaborators, we aim to develop and use multiple novel farming practices especially in Asian sea bass and Red snapper at the hatchery and grow-out levels at farms. We aim to be the leading Training and Engagement Platform where stakeholders, Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs) and government agencies can turn to for the latest aquaculture practices and technological developments.
Research plan & Impact:
The research activities in this program are divided into four work packages:
• Reproduction and growth: Reviving Singapore’s hatchery program and enhancing reproduction in Red snapper. The team will use cutting edge technology such as CRISPR and will establish novel spawning methods.
• Sex ratio: Identifying mechanisms of sex change in Asian sea bass to improve spawning capabilities. The team will design puberty-advancement treatments and hormonal manipulations.
• Stress resilience: Leveraging AI and sensor fusion technologies, using inputs from multi-omics approach, gut microbiome studies and multi-modal stress characterization to develop an AI-based technology for early detection and interventions of stress behaviours and health factors in Asian sea bass.
• Larval growth and survival: Studying mechanisms leading to healthy development and metamorphosis, and also bone deformities in Asian sea bass and red snapper. The team will develop early-life interventions for improved larval survival and growth.