Singaporeans love their food, especially seafood. And the Government has crafted a strategy to ensure diverse sources of imports and boost local production to build a resilient and secure food supply. For example, Singapore has been trying to boost domestic seafood production to support its goal of producing 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030. But the strategy is not without its challenges. Outbreaks of a deadly fish virus that led the Republic’s only fish farm operator in the southern waters to halt commercial production are a reminder of the risks. Widespread infection caused by the scale drop disease virus (SDDV) forced the Barramundi Group to suspend production of Asian sea bass, also known as barramundi, in Singapore and focus on production in Brunei for now.

The incident is far from a fatal blow for the local seafood industry. Fish farms have been affected in the past by disease outbreaks and algal blooms and recovered. But diseases, water pollution and climate change, through increasing water temperatures, remain challenges for open-sea fish farms in Singapore and around the world. The SDDV outbreak is a reminder of the need for vigilance and innovation to minimise the likely growing risks in the future.