It’s nerve-racking to be writing my very first post here, but if this year has taught me anything, it is to be okay with stepping into the unknown.
2023 has been such a year for not just myself, but my family and everyone at Atlas Aquaculture.
Fought to put ourselves out there
We fought to put ourselves out there, from speaking at the National University of Singapore to addressing an even bigger audience at the World Sustainability Forum.
We also said hi to some of you at Classic Fine Food’s Summer Perishable Market - an incredibly fun day that we’ll remember for a long time.
Hosted many public tours
Back in our cosy farm in Sungei Tengah, we hosted so many passionate fish lovers who joined our learning journeys and public tours. Whether you’re young, old, an eco-warrior or just curious, we will always welcome a visit from you.
Successfully bred shrimps with RAS system
And something close to my heart - we successfully bred shrimps in our land-based farm with our cutting-edge RAS system. My fellow aquaculture enthusiasts would know that the RAS system has been widely used to grow fish, but not so much shrimp.
Figuring out how to do it was difficult, especially with the limited research out there, so I’m especially proud that we managed to develop such an efficient way to breed shrimps.
Kick-started our hatchery project
On that note, we also started our breeding programme and expanded our hatchery. Truth be told, this wasn’t in our initial plans for the challenging year. But after multiple attempts of bringing in both fish fingerlings and post-laevae shrimps that died from low-quality water and widespread diseases in external hatcheries, our team decided to take matters into our own hands.
We fast tracked our hatchery project, so that we could grow our own brood stock for fish and shrimp. This allows us to not only better control the standard of our fingerlings, but also stop relying on supplies that fluctuate in quality. It was a lot of prep work, research and experiments, but our team is learning and growing so much as we go along this new journey.
Solar panels installed on our roof
And I’m honoured to say that Atlas Aquaculture held fast to our promise on sustainability. On top of harvesting rainwater and separating our industrial waste for recycling, we also made significant progress in being powered by the sun. We’ve been working hard with our partner to install solar panels on our roofs - remember to check them out the next time you pop by.
SFA's 2-star Good Agricultural Practice certified
As for my happiest achievement in 2023, it would no doubt be getting Singapore’s 2-star Good Agricultural Practice certified badge - a signal to the world that we meet international standards in producing high-quality seafood. Receiving the badge is a huge milestone for all of us at Atlas Aquaculture. Apart from being one of the youngest farms in the country to be awarded, we’re also the only land-based fish farm to receive it.
Above it all, it tells us that we are on the right track.
As long as we keep doing what we are doing, with the passion that we’ve had since day one, I’m more sure than ever that we’ll fulfil our promise to one day be a fully environmentally sustainable land-based fish farm.
If you’ve read this far, thank you for sharing my joy with me. 2023 has been quite a ride, but I have hope that 2024 will bring us even greater growth.
Fishfully Yours,
Kane Mcguinn