Yahweh Van Ram Sri¹

1 Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
2 Present address: Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Singapore
Author    Correspondence author
International Journal of Aquaculture, 2026, Vol. 16, No. 4   
Received: 13 Jul., 2026    Accepted: 15 Aug., 2026    Published: 25 Aug., 2026

This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Singapore aims to increase its local food production to 30% by 2030, with a strategic focus beginning on fish and shrimp production. Challenges from rising labour costs and limited space for sustainable aquaculture present significant obstacles. This process review highlights current technologies for fish sorting and harvesting and assesses the potential for automation in onshore fish farming. It also examines the fish farming process, scrutinises safety practices and standards, and applies a risk assessment framework for selected aquaculture activities, notably for feeding and harvesting activities, and offers insights into the global aquaculture industry, offering a strategic standpoint for increasing local fish production, reinforcing food safety, and support the sustainability of the aquaculture sector. To achieve the 30% local food production target by 2030, Singapore needs to address geographic limitations, supply-chain dependence, labour costs, and energy consumption. Thus, embracing urban environments, ensuring product freshness, and implementing advanced technologies like auto-feeders, IoT, and recirculating systems are important approaches for supporting the expansion of the local aquaculture industry. Alongside these opportunities, this review also considers capital cost, energy intensity, workforce competency, maintenance burden, and cybersecurity exposure as practical constraints on adoption. This review is expected to provide a practical plan to integrating automation technologies, safety management practices, and sustainable production strategies in urban aquaculture development.

Food safety; Local produce target; Fish farming processes; Automation in aquaculture; Fish farming industry; Onshore fish farming