Singapore is setting up a new National Broodstock Centre for marine tilapia to tackle high fish mortality rates in local aquaculture, local news reported.

Managed by the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (Safef) and funded by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the center aims to produce selectively bred young fish by early 2026. These tilapia will feature desirable traits like reddish-golden skin, disease immunity, and the ability to grow up to a kilogram, addressing current issues with the inconsistent quality of imported fingerlings.

Safef leads a farming coalition called The Straits Fish, which comprises five tilapia farms in the Johor Strait and hatcheries, and has been pushing to farm tilapia using sustainable methods. Tilapia fry from the new broodstock center will be sold only to farms that join The Straits Fish or adhere to sustainable farming practices.

The National Broodstock Centre for tilapia is one of two facilities under Singapore’s Aquaculture Plan to overhaul the Republic’s aquaculture sector. The other broodstock centre is in the SFA-run Marine Aquaculture Centre on St John’s Island, which has been running an Asian sea bass breeding programme for years.

The initiative is a key part of Singapore's Aquaculture Plan to transform the sector and boost local seafood production, with a goal to eventually produce 30% of the nation's nutritional needs locally.