Aquaculture & Fisheries

Biography

Biography: Goh Chee Keong

Abstract

Presently, Singapore is importing most of the food consumed in the country due to limited farming land and fishing grounds. With Singapore aiming to raise the proportion of locally produced fish from 8% to 15%, it is important to seek the most cost-effective feeds that are able to support good fish growth performance. This is because aquaculture feeds are contributing 50-70% of the total production cost of an aquaculture operation. This paper will discuss a study to use black soldier fly (BSF) larvae as a substitute for fish meal in fish diets, which is a partnership with a local fish farmer. The BSF larvae, which is of animal origin has been reported to show a great potential because it is containing high levels of protein and fats. In term of cost-effectiveness and availability, the BSF larvae grown at high densities on food waste seem to have a good potential for protein (~42%) and lipid (~35%) sources for aquaculture feeds. Through this project, we are using groupers as a model of study for developing BSF larvae as aquaculture feeds. We found that groupers were initially rejected the raw BSF larvae feeds even after multiple attempts of feeding. Thus, we were attempting to make 100% BSF larvae into pellet form using a suitable liquid binder. Finally, the groupers were starting to eat the BSF larvae feeds after processing the BSF larvae into pellets.